Human Like Me
by Reishii-Chan
Summary: New Summary: A wish on the Jewel causes Kagome to gain Sesshoumaru's youkai abilities and render him a human. Trapped in the modern era, the two must see past appearances and discover the truth about themselves. Kagome must learn how to use his awesome powers, and Sesshoumaru must learn how to be the one thing he hates the most.
1. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

**A/N:** So this story was inspired by the famously written novel, _Black Like Me_, by John Howard Griffin.

**Now one important thing**: this will not be the basis of this story. This is merely a plot that has been inspired by these events, and thus it will have its own plot. I _do_ suggest that everyone reads _Black Like Me_, since it is insightful and inspiring.

This will also be told in some **random drabbles**, so don't always expect long chapters like this one.

**Also** I am searching for a suitable beta. If anyone is interested please pm me; it would be greatly appreciated for this project.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

xXx

Human Like Me  
><strong>Ain't No Rest for the Wicked<strong>

Inuyasha swung his Fang Sword above his head and cleaved the arm of the lizard youkai in one clean sweep. The lizard yowled and flailed on the ground in tiny spasmodic bursts, its yellowed, scaly skin turning a deep crimson in its agony. Its tongue peeked out of its mouth, tasting, its eyes ballooned out of its head almost comically.

It wasn't a very powerful youkai, at least not by the hanyou's standards, but it had been causing enough trouble by terrorizing the nearby villages by stealing their livestock and tampering with their gardens. Though just as always they had received a plea of help from the village elder who knew a great deal about Inuyasha and his companions, and how they traveled all throughout the lands to aid people in their dealings with troublesome demons.

Sometimes, Inuyasha wished it would always be a bigger challenge than the last. He stared sulkily at the dying demon before him, figuring the demons were becoming weaker and weaker with each village they visited.

"Finish him now, Inuyasha," Kikyou said, singling an arrow and notching it in the bow. "Do it or I will."

"Okay, I will." He scowled, holding Tetsusaiga aloft in one hand and delivering the final sweep of his Wind Scar. The pained screech of the lizard demon echoed painfully within Inuyasha's sensitive ears, the sound rebounding off of the nearby mountain walls in a terrifying way.

The villagers came bounding from their huts and toward their saviours, offering packages of rice and fruits and dairy goods. Kikyou accepted them all graciously, ignoring the way Inuyasha scoffed at the idea of taking things from the already struggling villagers. After all, it wasn't like she would be the one to carry it back home. He hefted the supplies upon his back and waved farewell to the villagers.

The hanyou fell into step beside the undead miko. She looked straight on, her shoulders squared. Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head, not wanting to ask the miko what was bothering her, in fear that it might have to do with him. The last thing he wanted was a scolding.

He had been travelling with Kikyou since the completion of the Jewel and the ultimate defeat of Naraku, almost out of pity, if anything. It was evident amongst his other travelling companions that she was not quite yet welcome in their circle, even if she had a hand in slaying the evil hanyou that had been tormenting them for five years now. It was even clearer the gap that Kikyou shared between Kagome; Kagome had been assigned to be keeper of the Jewel until either of them ever found an appropriate, unselfish wish to ask it. This decision has been made on a group vote; Inuyasha had been the only one to vouch in Kikyou's favour. This had stuck with Kikyou since, which had been more than three weeks now, and she refused to breathe a word to the younger miko if she didn't have to.

Unfortunately for Inuyasha, he received the brunt of Kikyou's hatred and jealousy while out on errands such as these. But the miko seemed peculiarly quiet until recent, and this worried him even more. The love they had once shared never quite reached this time period for either, but Inuyasha still knew and understood her better than anyone else did.

"Kikyou," he began. He tried not to notice the pointed look she gave him in return. "Uh, is there something bothering you?" _Aside from the obvious_, he neglected to mention forthright.

They continued walking in silence, as the breeze began to pick up from the West, and dark cloud patches roamed overhead. He smelled rain and something that tickled his nose.

"There's going to be a storm," commented the miko for the first time. She craned her head back and observed the obsidian sky. "But this is a youkai made storm, not by nature. It is heading towards my sister's village."

"Who do you think could be causing this?"

"I am not knowledgeable of all youkai, Inuyasha. I have just as much of an idea as you do," she sniped, petulance gracing her tongue. Inuyasha stifled a sigh.

The two unlikely pair continued to walk the path, both preparing for an encounter of sorts, though neither of them really understood what they were tensing for. The shift in the air's turbulence picked up a trace of hostility, something only Inuyasha could distinguish between based on the scents in the air.

The hanyou's ears sprang up as warning signals impaled his gut. He had to get to the village. He scooped Kikyou up onto his back and took off like a freight train, barreling past anything or anyone that was in his path. Inuyasha recognized it now; the smell that had burned his nostrils was the crackling of concentrated youki in the sky, just as Kikyou claimed. But why would it be targeting Kaede's village?

The two were close now, approaching the steep grassy hill that would lead them to the top of the village. At first Inuyasha heard the sound of a cry coming from his right, to where the Bone-Eaters Well resided safely within the crux of trees. The sound was like a howling of wind, which was now blowing hard enough to steer him slightly off kilter. He confirmed the voice the second time he heard it, stopping abruptly and almost smashing Kikyou's nose into his hard shoulder.

"Inuyasha!"

Kikyou stiffened at the sound of her reincarnation, and was dropped unceremoniously onto her feet. She rubbed the back of her head glumly. Inuyasha had taken off.

"Kagome!"

xXx

Kagome hefted the large yellow bag onto her sore shoulders, wincing as the bag's straps dug into the bruises along her collarbone. She reminded herself to next time bring Advil, or some other pain medication.

"Will you be back soon this time?" asked Shippou. The fox-kit glanced warily at the hut's door. "You won't wait for Inuyasha?"

Kagome shook her head, noticing the exasperated expressions on the taijiya and monk's face. They knew just as much as she did that it was pointless to wait on Inuyasha any longer, but Shippou still couldn't quite grasp the concept.

"No, I'm not waiting for that goof," she said, feigning a humorous laugh. "Give him hell for me for not seeing me off, okay?"

Shippou bared his teeth and hunched his shoulders up, walking stiffly like an army soldier. "Of course,"

"Take care of the Jewel, Kagome." Sango requested. Her eyes wavered with unshed tears.

Kagome nodded, silently mourning her little brother who had to die in order for the Jewel to be completed in the first place. She hadn't quite gotten over that, even if it had been over a year since Kohaku had to sacrifice himself for their purpose. It still touched deeply within the miko's heart, but some day she would try to find a way to make it up to the demon-slayer.

"I will," was all Kagome had to say.

The younger miko waved goodbye to Sango and Miroku, not requiring any goodbyes from them. She trekked to the edge of the village's pathways and steered left up the hill, tying her hair back as she climbed. The winds battered relentlessly against her body, swaying her off balance once or twice. Even to her weak human nose she could still smell the brewing storm, although the crackle and spark of demon energy pricked at her flesh along with it.

She ignored it, instead trying not to focus on the ache in her back or the pull in her empty stomach. She would eat two servings of her mother's supper when she got home, and take a nice long bath to soothe her aching muscles. She had been here far longer than she'd intended, and it was time to return home.

The storm continued to culminate strength and power overhead, the thunder rolling through the dense atmosphere. A few trickles of rain speckled her nose and forehead.

"Could a demon be making this?" she wondered aloud to herself, finally clearing the top.

The brush of the demonic energy was too obvious for her to assume anything else. The storm was definitely not natural, so the caster had to be around here somewhere, just out of touch with Kagome's finely tuned senses.

Steeling herself, she approached the tree line. It appeared ominous to her, as if concealing something dangerous behind it. But it was absurd, wasn't it? She would have sensed long ago if there had been a demon waiting for her on the other side of the throng of large trees that protected the well from both view and most predators. This was the one time she did not feel safe within its enclosed space.

She dropped her pack and slung her bow off her back, notching an arrow and approaching cautiously ahead when finally she did detect energy.

As she drew closer she felt two powerful youkai ahead, causing her skin to prickle despite the humid wind battering at her. She faintly recognized the first, mainly because the demon was attempting to somewhat conceal himself from her. The name automatically clicked into her memory.

Sesshoumaru? She asked herself doubtfully, telling herself that she must be mistaken. What would he want?

The clearing divulged itself in front of her, and to her surprise she saw no one within it. Of course they were not too far off by her estimations, so she remained where she was, unwilling to step out in the open and become vulnerable.

The Jewel that was secured in the back of her jeans pocket warmed considerably with each passing moment, to the point where it was singing the material. She hurriedly removed it and clutched it tightly in her grasp, willing it to cool down. She felt blisters forming on her hands, and she averted a wince of pain. It seemed to be calling out, she noted, because she no longer could feel the energy centered upon her own miko powers.

"Ah, yes, the Jewel at last!"

The voice materialized from above her—Kagome barrel-rolled just in time to avoid the war axe that was going to cleave her head clean off her shoulders. She tumbled into the clearing, hitting the well with a sickening crack to her back. Her hands still protected the Jewel, although by now she must have burned away the first layer of tissue.

The youkai who had attacked her appeared from the tree line, a wicked smile painted upon her face. She was a petite red-head who wore traditional green robes, similar to Inuyasha's garments, with the ballooned hakama pants and the long sleeves. A gleaming axe three times the size of her head was held at her side.

"It took a while to find you, Kagome," the demoness hissed. "You're difficult to sense when that Jewel is protecting you,"

Kagome swallowed thickly, stretching her limbs out but finding the pain was too much. She sat there, helpless, momentarily paralyzed from the blow on the back of her head. The demoness knew it, too.

"Give me it," the youkai growled. Kagome barely summoned enough energy to create a corona of pink light around her. Willing the barrier to remain stable, she scooted backwards until her back touched the ancient wood of the well. Her plan was to jump down the well before the demoness attacked, or before the barrier dissipated, making for a hasty escape.

The demoness lashed out with her axe and struck the barrier head-on. She was resisted minutely before the barrier dissolved beneath her touch almost too easily. Kagome cried sharply when the axe came plummeting down upon her, stopping short just below her chin. The youkai held her gaze steadily.

"You touch me, and I'll purify you!" Kagome threatened, forcing as much confidence into the statement as possible. The truth was she wasn't sure if she could; not if the demon had little trouble breaking through her barrier. Although pitiful, most demons could not even stand to be near its presence without being singed to death.

The youkai laughed outright, digging the edge of the axe's blade into the miko's tender jugular. "As if that puny miko power of yours could touch me,"

The Jewel cupped within Kagome's hands began to pulsate in time with her heart. _Badoom. Badoom._ It ceased to burn her, but the pull of its ancient magic was nauseating. The youkai grinned madly. "If you give me the Jewel, I will spare your pitiful mortal life," she bargained, though Kagome had little reason to trust her barter.

"What do you want with it?" Kagome gritted. The axe's sharp edges cut a thin line across her tender flesh. Blood seeped into Kagome's gray sweatshirt.

"What do you think I want?" the youkai sneered. "I wish to become more powerful than I am. And right now there is only one in this very land that is the strongest. I wish to attain his power as my own and rule whatever land I choose."

Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes—she'd been there, and done that, already. But who could this demon possibly want the power from? Naraku was long dead, and only a hanyou. She could think of no one, at first, until the name slipped from her mind and through her mouth. "Sesshoumaru…?"

The youkai nodded. "Yes. He is the strongest of all the youkai. I have been pursuing you and the great inuyoukai for months now. I am finally able to get what I deserve!"

The axe shot out directly in front of Kagome—by pure luck the miko had managed to shift herself to the left, far enough away from the deadly blade that whizzed by where she was just a second ago. She scrambled to her feet, the pain in her hip and back hindering her running, but she took off. Kagome didn't even clear the circumference of the trees before the youkai appeared before her once more.

Out of instinct, Kagome screamed the one name she'd screamed a thousand times. "Inuyasha!"

Just as the name slipped from her lips, a white flash came shooting from the trees. It tackled the demoness, grappling with her on the ground. The axe was successfully ripped away from her grasp, but she seemed to have more tricks up her sleeve. She punched the other demon square in the solar plexus with a brilliant flash of youki, sending him nearly hurtling to the other side of the clearing.

Kagome yelped and dodged as the white youkai was sent hurtling straight to her. The body connected with the trees, rebounding off and falling to the ground. Upon closer inspection Kagome recognized Sesshoumaru. She tried to help him to his feet, but he growled and sat straight up, inching away from her slowly.

"Do not touch me, miko," he growled, standing but wobbling. He seemed to be in a daze, save the grimace on his face.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, aware that he was again engaging in battle with the female youkai. He had drawn his sword and took carefully crafted swings in her direction, but each time his attack was reflected by powerful bursts of youki. She scampered out of the way just as the demoness sent yet another powerful, concentrated burst of energy that was supposed to hit Sesshoumaru. The dog demon had leapt out of harms way, sailing over the other youkai's head. He landed deftly, swinging his sword straight for her throat.

The demoness yelped and flitted from view, reappearing beside Kagome. The miko barely had enough time to dodge as the demoness lounged for the Jewel tucked safely into Kagome's palms; with one quick sweep the demon snatched the Jewel away. Kagome summoned her miko powers and purified everything in her path—except for the demoness. Sesshoumaru dodged her attack, sending a menacing glare in her direction.

"Do not get involved in this, woman," he snarled. "What do you intend to do with that, Azara?"

The youkai—Azara—grinned mischievously. "You'll find out soon enough, Lord Sesshoumaru." She wrung her hands together around the Jewel possessively.

"Stop her; she's going to make a wish!"

At the sharp cry of Kagome's request Sesshoumaru leaped toward Azara. She successfully built up a thick wall of youki that the dog demon nearly crashed into, her mouth moving as she made her wish.

"Take away all of Sesshoumaru's power away and transfer them—"

Azara never could finish her sentence—the purified arrow that pierced through the cylindrical youki barrier lodged directly into her breast, cutting off her wish. The barrier began dissolve like acid, purifying everything within its diameter. The demoness was now hunched over on one knee, still clutching the Jewel that pulsed with tainted energy and thrummed in time with the beating of her heart.

She sensed the approaching miko and hanyou just in time. She scuttled to the well and ruptured a fragment of the youki embedded within its ancient wood just enough to distract them from her escape. She was aware of Kagome's time travel, a knowledge not even Naraku had been aware of. Azara fled from the circular clearing with the Jewel before the two could come to once again.

Sesshoumaru redirected his gaze from the youkai to where the miko stood, her arms still aloft with the bow, although her eyes were clouded and unseeing. Slowly, she lowered her weapon, dropping it to the floor limply. He watched as she wobbled to her feet and collapsed on the ground face-first, twitching uncontrollably. Just as the taiyoukai began to question what had ailed the girl, he, too, found himself crippling under some unknown weight that he, the great dog demon, could not repel.

His breath fell short in his lungs as his massive body was forced to the ground. His sight failed as well as his sense of feeling. The last thing to disappear was his hearing. Convulsions ceased him thirty seconds later.

Kagome roused from the convulsions just as Sesshoumaru had collapsed, spittle hanging from her numb lips and liquid running down her cheeks from her eyes. She sat up steadily, stilling whenever she felt the tension of pulled muscles within her legs and arms. As she finally stood erect, there was a distinct difference to the world she had never had privy of seeing before. The world was dazzled with colours she could not name, with particles in the air and land that she hadn't even known were there before now. When she moved a foot out in front of her, suddenly she found herself three paces ahead instead, the sight around her blurring with her rapid movements.

She looked to the dog demon that had joined her in the convulsions, witnessing with unbelieving eyes as his hair bled to inky blackness. Kagome circled the taiyoukai, waiting patiently as his episode passed. She stood cautiously back when he began to slowly bring himself to his knees, his face shrouded from her vision from his ebony bangs.

Kagome elicited a soft cry in the back of her throat when Sesshoumaru peered up at her. He made a sound, too, without realizing that he did so upon seeing her as well.

"Sesshoumaru, you…" Kagome stammered, slowly inching backwards. "What happened to you…?"

Sesshoumaru wiped his face with his remaining hand, almost missing the fact that he lacked his trademark demon insignias upon his wrists. His claws had also been filed down. He got to his feet quickly, the still turbulent wind catching his hair adrift in front of his vision. His brown eyes widened far more considerably than what she had seen before as he touched his alienated hair. His eyes shot up to meet hers instantly.

"You…" he growled, without the usual rumble through his diaphragm. "What have you done, wench?" He started for her, arm distended to grasp around her throat like he had done so many times in the past. It startled him when she easily slipped out of his reach and appeared at his side, shocked just as much as he when she did so fluently.

"W-what's wrong with you?" Kagome questioned him, trying to ignore the way she had just circled him without moving her feet. She fought to keep her voice under control. "Why do you look so…?"

"Why have you stolen this Sesshoumaru's powers!"

Kagome flinched at his roar, at first not comprehending his statement. She happened to tuck a piece of hair behind her now elfish ears, and catch the magenta strips criss-crossing her wrists. Suppressing a squeal, she closely inspected her body now, noting that she distinctly felt her nails—claws—sliding along the fabric of her clothes. She grabbed at a tuft of her once jet-black hair, only to find that it glistened like silver dollars in the light. Kagome stared at Sesshoumaru for a long while; the two now coming to terms with what had just took place.

As Kagome talked, she could not mistake the sharp edges jutting from her canines. "I think that youkai switched our powers. Does that mean you're a houshi now?"

Sesshoumaru ignored her question. He was too preoccupied with studying his features to the extent that he could; he believed himself to be under some sort of illusion. He studied his sword Tokijin intently, noting that the demonic energy exuding from the weapon was tainting him and threatening to possess him. He fought it off with some effort and regarded the miko, now great taiyoukai, before him.

"I shall not stand for one such as you to wield and possess my powers. Return to me this instant."

Kagome sighed. "I don't think it's going to be that easy,"

"Well then I suggest you find a way to fix it right now."

Kagome bit her lip, wincing when she drew blood with her sharp teeth. "I don't know how to do that exactly, okay? What we would need to do first of all would be to find her. But first I need to grab m—"

She let her guard down too quickly; he snatched the opportunity and pinned her over the Bone-Eaters Well securely. For a human he was abnormally strong, and without prior knowledge on how to use her new powers effectively she was trapped beneath him. His large brown eyes seared into her soul.

"You _will_ find a way, miko. Or I shall take your life,"

Kagome felt the bark press into her back annoyingly. She slipped into a position which allowed her more room between him and the well easily enough. "You're forgetting," she began haughtily, "that if you kill me there might be a chance that you will never regain your powers again. How about we just work together and try to—"

"Silence, you insolent woman!" He gripped her wrists tightly, probably not as tight as he wanted it to be. Kagome prepared to take a trip down the well in case he decided to get even more hostile. "You shall not dictate what I do. You will follow my orders promptly, and I shall not slay you now. Your tongue insults me."

With a swift, fluid movement Kagome maneuvered Sesshoumaru around her. She had meant to reverse their position and chew him out with a piece of her own opinion, but somewhere, someone had misplaced their footing. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as they tumbled down the well's pillar, too caught up in her panic to notice the shroud of pink that engulfed them both before hurtling them five hundred years into the future.

xXx

"Kagome! Kagome, where are you?"

When Inuyasha and Kikyou arrived on the scene, the battle had been fought and lost. All that remained was Kagome's yellow backpack, her weapons, and large patches of upturned grass where the youki had been manipulated into barriers and projectiles.

Kikyou approached the well and touched the rim, sensing a disturbance of the flow in energy. "Kagome had ventured to her time period." The elder miko stated blandly, moving to inspect the remainder of the area for clues.

She had been certain that she had sensed the Jewel being manipulated, but now it was no longer sensed. She was certain it was tainted, and that another youkai had been involved with this ordeal along with the younger miko.

Inuyasha smelled the air. "My brother was here," he said, more of a question than a statement. "What was he doing here so close to Kagome, anyway?"

Kikyou picked up the remaining arrows and the forgotten bow. Her face was devoid of emotion. It unnerved Inuyasha more than it should have, he realized.

"I'm going to try going through," he said, perching on the edge of the well and staring down at the black void.

"You will most likely not be able to pass through."

Inuyasha looked toward Kikyou. "I have to try, right?"

She said nothing as he hopped down, preparing himself for the fall that eventually came. His knees buckled under his weight as he hit the bottom nearly twelve feet down. He stared at the top, jumping back up in defeat.

"What's wrong with it?"

"That demon might have been a youki manipulator," Kikyou said. "It is possible that she altered the well's magic just enough to cause them trouble. Although why she would choose to do so is beyond me—Kagome's time-travelling ability isn't well known."

Inuyasha's ears flattened against his skull. He peered down the well one last time before following Kikyou out of the clearing. "We have to find that demon," he stressed. "Kagome will be stuck there without the Jewel."

"You forget that she is not alone," Kikyou raised a delicate eyebrow.

"What do you mean? She's the only one aside from me that can go through the well."

"Lord Sesshoumaru has passed through as well. Didn't you sense this?"

Inuyasha froze, staring at the undead miko in abstract horror. "No, how could I? His scent, it literally vanished!"

"It was there, Inuyasha." Kikyou began walking again even though he remained cemented in place. "He has lost his demonic powers, and thus does not share the same scent of a youkai any longer. I am certain he has passed through the time-well with Kagome."

"Sesshoumaru… a human…? But how is it possible that he went through the well, when I cannot?"

"I am not certain as to why that is yet, but yes," a rare smile graced the miko's lips. "Kagome is now a full-fledged demon."

xXx

Kagome landed ungracefully on her rump. Something landed on top of her two seconds later, and soon she was being tossed into the well's wall by Sesshoumaru. His eyes were enlarged as he scrambled to jump up the length of the well, failing to do so, only jumping a few inches off of the ground. Kagome peered up the well and noticed the ladder had been removed. She frowned, thinking she must have been away that long for them to remove the ladder.

The miko stood and bushed the dust off of her clothes, watching as Sesshoumaru continued to grasp at roots and haul himself up. Kagome took one long look at the length of the well, judged the distance, and leapt into the air. With a rush of air that was knocked from her lungs, she was sitting on the edge of the well almost twelve feet up. She glanced back down at the fuming taiyoukai, but he refused to say a word.

Kagome jumped back down, barely feeling the impact. "Here, I'll help you up." She offered him a striped hand, but he hissed away from it. He backed up until he was flush with the wall. She sighed, leaping back up. Over in the corner sat the ladder. She grabbed it and lowered it until she felt it hit the ground, calling over her shoulder to Sesshoumaru as she left. "You can get up when you feel like it,"

She crossed the area from the shrine to her home almost too quickly. The wind whipped furiously about her, lifting up the nearby autumn leaves and sending her now silver hair about in a messy halo. The scent of the wind carried pollution and decay. She scrunched her nose. Was this what Tokyo always smelled like? Before she could remember it being fresh and scented with the autumn leaves, but now she could barely contain her repulsion.

She could smell something human inside of the house—how she knew to identify the scent of humans was beyond her, but something inside her internal memory had clicked. She then could scent out her brother and her grandfather inside of the house, and a second later picked up her mother. Is this how they always had smelled before?

What an odd sensation, Kagome thought to herself, to be able to recognize people based on their smell. She always thought it would have been convenient for animals such as dogs and cats to use their sense of smell for nearly anything, and now that she was actually experiencing it (not yet having realized it was because she was a taiyoukai now) was a special moment. She had to bet that if the wind wasn't howling within her sensitive eardrums that she could hear sounds miles away, sounds that were too miniscule to pick up before would become clear in pitch.

She stepped into the house and shut the door quietly behind her, hearing the sounds of her mother in the kitchen and her brother in his bedroom. She could even hear him flipping through the pages in his textbook! Her grandfather was sitting upon the couch and drinking something, his slurps from the straw discernible to her.

The hallway lead straight to the kitchen and rounded into the living room. She followed to the kitchen, catching from the corner of her eye a glint of light. She stared straight into the oval mirror, reality crippling her of movement. When she held her breath in surprise and fear, there was no pain. She felt like she could hold her breath forever. Slowly, in transfixed fascination, she raised her hand to cup the side of her cheek, anticipating the image to vanish from her sight. But the magenta strips on both cheekbones stayed there, as did the crescent navy moon above her brows. She laughed quietly, more in hysteria than in humor, catching the fine points of her teeth as her mouth parted.

She backed up into the other wall, giving herself a fuller look at her body. Though she was still clad in her jeans and sweater, her hair flowed like silk down her shoulders and to her waist like silver diamonds. Her yellow eyes were wide in abstract horror; she felt the need to scream but it never surfaced entirely.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

For an unknown reason Kagome clamped a hand to her mouth, stilling herself in response to her grandpa's question.

"What did you say, dad?" her mother asked from the kitchen. Kagome could hear her setting the sponge she had been cleaning with down as well as the pot.

"I thought I heard someone come in," he hefted himself, too slowly for Kagome's liking, from the couch. His footfalls reached the bend to where she was. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her body away when her grandpa peered out into the hallway. "Holy… a demon! In this very house! Souta, get down here quickly."

Her grandfather unstrung the tie from his shirt which contained a bottle full of various sutras. He didn't even notice the fashion in which the demon of his prey was dressed. Just as he was about to fling the sutras at Kagome and finish reciting a prayer, Kagome's mother stepped in and caught his wrist softly.

"That's no demon, dad," she pointed to her daughter with a knowing look. "It's Kagome."

Kagome slowly turned and peeked at her family through her fingers, shocked that her mother instantly recognized her, even in this state. "Mom?" she asked timidly. Her mother gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'd recognize my daughter anywhere," was all she said before Kagome leapt into her mother's embrace. "What happened to you? You're covered in strange markings, and your hair has gone shock white."

"It was an accident," was all Kagome said, hugging her mother fiercely. She could hear the beating of her mother's heart through her shirt, which comforted the miko. The sound of her brother travelling down the stairs had her head popping up from her mom's bosom. "Souta?"

Her brother paused. "Kagome?" he breathed, not yet believing what he was seeing. "You look like Inuyasha," the teenager observed.

She did a quick survey of her body before shrugging. "Something like that,"

"What happened to you?"

"I… don't really know, Souta." Kagome's mom moved her to the living room. When she sat down, she felt like she could finally order things out correctly. "We finished the Jewel and defeated Naraku, which is why I took so long," she apologized, though it still stung to know they hadn't anticipated her return at all this time. "And I was guarding it. There was a demon, and she took the Jewel away. She made a wish, and I can't really remember it now. But the next thing I knew I had Sesshoumaru's powers."

Souta's face screwed up. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Inuyasha's older brother. He was there at the time for some reason, just as I was about to go home. He's human now. We've swapped powers."

"I refuse to believe that I am a mortal at all, miko."

The Higurashi's all turned in unison to see the mighty dog demon standing before their living room, dressed in his normal regalia but bereft of his promotional markings. Kagome wondered how she had missed his presence at all.

"But you are, Sesshoumaru," she said, "and I have your powers, whether I like it or not."

"Such insolence! You _will_ give me my powers back, human, or I will crush you."

"If you do that, you'll most certainly never get them back!" she refuted.

Sesshoumaru stilled minutely at her words. Kagome noticed that he had lost a measure of his self control, and it might be partly due to the fact that he didn't have his powers to call upon if needed. She realized sullenly that he was just as helpless as she had been, if not more so. How was he ever going to survive being a human when he did not acknowledge himself as one?

"We'll need to stick together," she said at last. His eyes pierced through hers. "You don't know how to be human, and I don't know how to be a demon. We could help each other."

"This Sesshoumaru does not need help from a pitiful human." He sniffed.

"But I'm not!"

She alarmed her family by the ferocity in her voice, and had scared herself in the process. She was aware of something stretching across her face, and a blinding pain behind her eyes. It faded soon enough once she calmed down, but she was left to wonder what that sensation had been.

"No, I suppose you no longer are," Sesshoumaru mused. He turned to leave the house. "But I shall find my own way back. I do not require your assistance."

"Wait!" She lounged from the couch with a speed she did not notice, but her family sure did. They stared after her in awe at what she had done before them.

She hadn't expected him to be such a fast walker when he turned human, but he was almost clearing the last steps of the shrine when she caught up to him. "Sesshoumaru, you can't just go out there!" she reasoned. "It's dangerous."

"More dangerous than the era we live in?" he retorted, his voice carrying on the wind. "This Sesshoumaru fears nothing." He drew his Tokijin in an act of intimidation, but was stunned minutely. His grip was lost on the demon sword; it clacked to the ground. He did not attempt to retrieve it, leaving it on the steps without care.

Helpless, she watched as he reached the last step and started walking along the sidewalk, carefully doing everything he could to avoid being touched by humans. At least he was on the sidewalk and not the road, Kagome thought in relief. How was she to convince such a prideful demon to listen to her? She figured she could have used brute force, but her strength and powers were so unknown to her, she couldn't even begin to think of how to use them.

She went and grabbed Tokijin from the ground, waiting for it to sting her like it had Sesshoumaru. But when nothing of a sort happened, she fled back home and kept it safely within her closet. She left her room, eager to be far away from the demon blade as possible.

Without fully knowing where she was going, Kagome let her feet walk on their own, and soon ended up in front of the shrine. She stared from the top of the stairs at the Bone-Eaters Well, waiting for the tell-tale sign of it being alive by the cold breeze it always exuded. But there was nothing. Sighing, she headed back into her home; praying that Sesshoumaru wouldn't get killed—or worse, kill someone.

xXx

After trying ten boxes of black hair dye, with the heavy stinging scent of ammonia infiltrating her nose for two hours, Kagome finally thought her hair had turned black again. She stared at herself in the mirror, not caring that there were multiple smudges of black dye along her face, neck, and hands. The dye seemed to be sticking to the strands this time, making this attempt successful. She had long before pinched her nose together with a clothes hanger to protect herself from the reeking chemicals of the hair dye, but it still managed to clot all of her senses at once. She absently recalled a time when Inuyasha had been dyed completely in black ink and was all but incapacitated. She wondered if something similar was happening here.

She turned back to the mirror five minutes later, aghast when she saw the dye slowly receding from her hair line and down the tips. She thought for an instant that it must be evaporating, since there was never any mess left over by it. Sighing, she rummaged through her mom's makeup bag and retrieved a bottle of foundation. She dabbed it lightly over her crescent first, watching as it slowly disappeared underneath the makeup. She moved to her magenta strips now, pleased they were also disappearing as well. Lastly, she covered her wrists and filed down her long claws. Actually, she merely smoothed over the hard tips since whatever had created Sesshoumaru's fingernails were harder than steel.

She had noticed that there were also magenta strips upon her ankles, and her toenails were long and sharp as well. How he ever wore boots with those she would never understand.

Without the cacophony of her family amongst her, Kagome was able to refocus her concentration on herself. There was a distinctive, pressing urge on her chest that had yet to fade, like there was a spot within her that stored youki. She could hardly believe it, but there was always a faint crackling of energy surrounding her, whether it came about willingly or not. Was this the result of her being unable to tamper with this power, or had it simply always been this way?

Kagome stared at herself again in the mirror, pondering on what to do to hide her freakishly coloured eyes. She thought about contact lenses, but, like the rest of Sesshoumaru's body, they might be dipped in some acid. Downstairs she could hear the phone ring as if it were in the room next to her. She heard her mother's soft response.

"Hello? Yes, this is the Higurashi residence… Yes, I have a daughter named Kagome… you want her? Okay…okay… just one moment… Kagome, phone!"

Kagome sprang from the room and flitted down the stairs almost ghostlike. She was handed the phone by her mother. "Hello?" she asked the phone.

"Hello, Higurashi Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"We have a man here who says that you are his next of kin. He says his name is Sesshoumaru. Do you know who he is?"

Kagome's heart jumped to her throat. Oh, gods, he'd gotten himself in jail!

"Yes, I know of him. Is everything all right?"

"Well, I'm afraid he caused a bit of a disturbance within the city. He's been taken into custody until someone comes and bails him out. He's been charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. Would you like to talk to him?"

"Yes, put him on please,"

There was a pause, and then a gruff. "Hello,"

"Sesshoumaru!" she scolded. "What have you gotten yourself into? You're in jail!"

"I am aware of this, miko." He said surly. "And I wouldn't have been if I had been able to fight them off."

"I'm coming down there right now to get you,"

"Don't be foolish. I shall break out of here soon enough."

"This is _not_ the Sengoku Jidai anymore, Sesshoumaru! You're in _my_ era now, and you have to abide by the laws we make. And you cannot possibly break out of that jail in your current condition, you know, so I'm going to bail you out."

She didn't get a chance to hear his retort; the officer had reached for the phone. "I assume you will be down here shortly, Miss?"

"Yes, I'm on my way."

xXx

Wow! Twelve pages. Phew.

Hey, just a little footnote here. John Howard Griffin was a white man who masqueraded as a black man to gain an understanding of the way society reacted towards the black culture, and vice versa. He and his family suffered through trials of having his face posted all around Maine Street, as well as having a cross burned on the lawn of a black school yard. His family then moved to Mexico after those events. His adventures were transferred into a novel.


	2. In Too Deep

**A/N:** Hey, here's chapter two!

xXx

Human Like Me  
><strong>In Too Deep<strong>

When Kagome finally made her way down to the police station, with her hair tucked up underneath an old lady's bonnet and Souta's sunglasses (she realized it was the middle of the night but didn't give a hoot), she was struggling to keep the fits of laughter at bay at seeing Sesshoumaru, the almighty dog demon, incarcerated. He looked like a kicked puppy sitting on the farthest bench from the door, promptly ignoring everyone within the jail cell that consisted mainly of drunks. He nursed a glass of water in his hand contemptuously. She noticed that the officers had removed his ancient clothing and armour and had placed him in a white jumpsuit with the number **83** strewn across the center. She thought it did not beseech his title, but found it oddly amusing, and somewhat vindictive.

She reached the front desk and pointed to the sullen taiyoukai in the corner. She ignored the officer's pointed look at her apparel. "I'm here to bail Sesshoumaru out," she snipped. The taiyoukai raised his head to see her for the first time at her statement. He moved to the front of the cell and waited for the guard to release him.

After filling out paperwork and working out as to how to bill her, the guard released Sesshoumaru. He took off right away for the door, speed-walking down the street and out of her sight. Kagome abandoned her paperwork and ignored the warning from the officer. She scrambled to catch up with him, not about to let him go parading around the streets again just to terrorize innocent people.

"Hey, wait! Get back here, I've got to talk to you!"

And just as she thought he ignored her. She easily caught up with him. "Stop ignoring me! You've got to come back to the house."

Sesshoumaru sniffed and turned blindly onto the busy road, staggering Kagome minutely before she took after him. He dodged traffic easily enough, but it worried her that if he got hit he might die. He didn't seem to remember that he was fragile now, whereas she could easily push aside a four ton vehicle with ease if she tried. Much to her relief he crossed unscathed, though he left a trail of honking horns and surly people in his wake. Kagome apologized to each of them as she rushed through, not minding that people were eyeing her questionable garments.

When she was merely three feet behind him she reached out and snatched his one arm. He turned far more quickly than she had anticipated and rolled his hand out of her grasp, pinning her by the throat against a brick building. His eyes, now muddy brown, hadn't lost their intensity when they had been gold.

"You will stop following me this instant," he told her, unaware of the crowd they were gathering.

"You can't go and just walk off." She reasoned, swallowing against his hand. It occurred to her she could easily subdue him, but it would be difficult to not raise suspicions amongst the street, and it was bad enough that they were now stopping to appraise the scene.

"And why not?" he challenged. His grip left her throat and he stood back, waiting for a reasonable answer.

"Because," she said, "if you go now, how do you expect to return your powers?"

This stunned him minutely; she could see the tick in his right eye throbbing and the slight gnashing of his molars together. When she thought she might've snatched him in her trap the taiyoukai began to strut away once more. Kagome decided that going after him would most likely cause the scenario to repeat all over again, but she didn't want to have him thrown in jail—_again_—and have to bail him out—_again._ When he was far enough away that she could just see the tip of his head (he severely towered over the rest of the population by at least a foot), she pursued him, mindful to keep him within seeing distance but using the crowd to conceal her presence.

She figured that if he wanted to throw a mini tantrum and blow off some steam, she could at least monitor him, and if need be pull him out of whatever situation he would land in. She followed him for fifteen minutes before he wound up within another scuffle; there was a man who held a sharp blade threateningly above his balding head, angled for Sesshoumaru's chest. Sesshoumaru himself stood indifferently before the angered man as if he still believed himself to be infallible. It took effort on Kagome's part to wait and watch for the outcome, instead of just barreling in and disrupting them. Who knows? Maybe Sesshoumaru would back off dignifiedly.

Or, he could attempt to poison whip the man to death.

Kagome gnashed her teeth together, concentrating on the two voices amongst the crowd that had gathered in spite of the impending brawl. It's like they could smell a fight happening; people were orienting themselves in a cylindrical barrier around the fight.

"Step out of my way, old man, and I may take pity upon you." Kagome heard Sesshoumaru say tonelessly. She could hear the other man's heated pants as he juggled with the decision to strike or intimidate first.

"You talk as if you got game," the man said. "I do not think you have it in you."

As the taiyoukai prepared for some immediate actions, Kagome felt the bunch of energy within her thighs urge her to run for him. But still she refrained, not until he was in need of her. From the man's right were a few younger looking men who flanked his sides. Her heart dropped when she realized Sesshoumaru was picking a fight with a mob group of some kind. _Oh jeesh,_ she thought, _what did he do to get involved with them?_

"I advise you to step away this instant, before this Sesshoumaru becomes hostile."

The man guffawed wildly, his buddies rioting along with him. She saw one of them clutch an object at his side protectively. She hoped it wasn't a gun, but then…

"Rano!" The group leader shouted. The man who had been clutching an object at his waist stepped forward with a grin on his face. "How 'bout we take this to somewhere more…private?" the man gestured to the spectators, much like a king would gesture to his army. "Wouldn't want to cause a spectacle, now would we?"

Kagome witnessed Sesshoumaru shrugging indifferently. Maybe he was deciding to back away from the fight, but the cursory glance around the audience gave her a chilled feeling. "Very well," he followed the men out of Kagome's sight. She waited only a moment for the crowd to disperse enough for her to wedge herself through them, catching up with them soon enough. They turned off to an adjacent street way that would lead them all to a mostly abandoned skater's park. Fear coursed through her for Sesshoumaru's sake.

Remaining hidden within the shadows, she followed them to the park. She found herself easily slinking within the dark's cloak, more effortless than she should have. The men ushered Sesshoumaru in the middle of their party, and the leader faced the great taiyoukai with the utmost confidence. She minded the way his buddy fingered the gun at his side almost nonchalantly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Sesshoumaru demanded, attempting to step past the leader. The leader's buddy, Rano, brought his gun out and pointed the barrel at Sesshoumaru. "What is that object?" the taiyoukai questioned aloud.

"Well, that there is a .22, and it should do the trick if Rano can get a good shot at your skull."

She could almost _feel_ the way Sesshoumaru would arch his eyebrow to something he didn't quite understand from her distance. Though Rano held the gun at point-blank range to Sesshoumaru, she couldn't help but notice the flexion in the man's arms, the way his muscles, taut and flexed while handling the gun, were visible through his skin tissue. Even from this distance, and her limited amount of knowledge of guns, she could tell now that it was loaded.

So it was safe to assume that all of them carried loaded guns.

With that threat in mind, Kagome decided it was an apt time to perpetrate the situation. Moving with a strength that bellied her determination, she positioned herself within the center of the gang's circle, hovering slightly in front of the dog demon's left flank. There was a brief moment of stunned silence; the trilling of laughter soon plundered that silence. Here she was, an unassuming young woman defending a fully grown, oddly dressed male. The leader wiped an imaginative tear from his eye, even while his merriment continued to spew from his lips.

"I think we got ourselves a little girlie, Fuka," Rano said deviously to their leader, aiming his gun to Kagome. "You gonna save him, little girl?"

Kagome felt a tremour of fear rock her body, and out of her own accord, there was a thundering growl ripping through her diaphragm that stayed her nervousness. She was aware that Sesshoumaru had yet to speak to her, but she relied on that fact being because he had the situation under control—at least, she hoped.

"We don't want any more trouble," she bargained, trying to orchestrate herself into a reasonable stance. She was aware that seconds ago she had taken up a protective stance she hadn't realized she knew around Sesshoumaru. A swift glance in his direction told her enough to know that he was clearly not amused by her sudden intrusion. "Just let us leave, okay?"

"I don't really think so," Fuka intoned, gripping Rano's gun within his own meaty hand. Kagome could smell the hot sweat pouring from the man's body that was concealed by his impressive suit. "You see, no one messes with me 'n my gang, you clear?"

"Yes," she said, "Perfectly clear. Now let us go, please?"

Their riotous laughter assaulted her sensitive hearing. Unaware, her clawed hands clicked together in a display of derisiveness. This did not escape the taiyoukai's perception; he was slightly intrigued by the prospect of the miko to handle these thugs herself, but reason stayed his curiosity. He could not allow her emotions to bridle her untrained powers, especially now.

Kagome flinched when Sesshoumaru spoke for the first time, his voice heard even above the gang's incessant chattering. "We shall leave here effective immediately," he said gravely. "I shall instruct you as to how to get out of here. But you must follow directions accordingly, and without hesitation, understood?" he spoke in hushed tones that only her sensitive ears could hear. She hummed her assent.

Fuka tilted his gun and approached the two unlikely couple, eyeing Kagome with an air of fascination, one that was not entirely pure. "Maybe if you submit willingly enough, I'll let you tag along, sweetheart." He chortled to himself, oblivious to the silent conversation they carried through his speech. "I could find a great place for you in my gang."

He saw the flicker of something in the woman's eye—a _light_? Fuka hadn't time to progress these strange findings before the winds whipped crazily about him and his gang, severe enough to nudge them over sideways. He noticed that the winds eddied about them and culminated before the young woman's body, battering against but not budging them from their positions. The man's hair haloed above his in a wild tempest, and soon Kagome's meek bonnet was ripped from her chin, displaying her silvery hair.

Fuka scrambled back as the winds shrieked into his ears, shouting for his teammates to abort. A chill crawled up through his spine and stilled him minutely when he realized the woman's eyes were glowing bloody red. Fuka, in blind panic, lifted his .22 and shot off five bullets that had been in the magazine. Each one connected with the hell-witch woman, but he deemed it time to leave when she didn't collapse from the impacts.

Kagome could feel the weight of all her youki pressing upon her chest, and yet she continued to do as Sesshoumaru instructed. She focused all of her being into one center, just below her feet, and with that it only came naturally; the influx of pure power was an after-shock to her. Hardly aware that a hand now gripped her midsection, she was guided through the basics of Sesshoumaru's conveyance method as the wind whipped wildly about them.

"This will be a challenge at first, but you must prevail. No matter what happens, do not relinquish control over the center of your youki at your feet, or we shall plummet to the ground." He neglected to mention that it would do him great harm, but Kagome had more pressing matters to focus on.

Imprisoning the energy and thinking in her mind that she was trapping it within a sphere, visible signs of the youki leaked through to her senses as it billowed beneath them, slowly at first, but gaining buoyancy and firmness as she concentrated.

She could smell the gunpowder salting the air before she felt the bullets connect with her body. Each one was like a mini explosion, and though she still stood firmly, her concentration was wavering significantly and she swayed slightly on her feet. Returning to her focus, Kagome assessed her wounds as the cowardly mob fled for their life from the 'demon-woman,' as they put it to accurately.

Sesshoumaru gave no sign that he had noticed her fresh injuries, or either just didn't concern himself with it. "Now, we must leave immediately," he pressed, his breath close to her ear. "Maintain this amount of youki and we shall travel fine. Just allow your will to guide us."

Kagome willed herself to return home, and with a minute start they shot up into the air at an alarming rate. Unaccustomed to this height or the impeccable speed, Kagome seized Sesshoumaru's lone arm and barely repressed a squeal in her throat. He was impressed—and a little relieved—that her power did not waver despite her fear. He, of course, was privy to such methods of transportation that it hardly fazed him at all. What _did_ faze him was that the miko was desperate to cling to him, even though she could never fall off of this youki cloud, even if she bade it.

Kagome soared higher and higher in the sky until she believed that they were just a speck in the night's sky. She was amazed that everything around her was not coating with thick patches of darkness anymore; her youkai eyes allowed her to amass the necessary remaining light to view the rest of the slumbering city she lived in. Sesshoumaru himself was finding it difficult to adjust in his obtuse senses, and even more was stunned by the amount of huts this village possessed. Were humans the only population within this massive land? Were there no youkai, or were they not far off? He damned his mutinied senses, beguiled that Kagome was now gawking at the scenery so childishly.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she breathed. As if just noticing she released the hold on his remaining arm, and though he did not display it (not that she would have noticed anyway), he was aware that she had broken a few vessels in his forearm. He could feel the tender flesh prick with pain each time he flexed his arm. He also noticed that she was peppered in tiny holes, one on her arm, and several in her midsection. How had she been wounded?

Kagome caught him staring at her stomach, and for the first time she really noticed her injuries. "Oh, no," she moaned. She curiously poked at the open flesh wound, and winced. "This… I should be dead…"

"A youkai's power, especially my own, are impervious to most injuries, although it appears that you are subject to them. You must heal yourself, and not allow for this to happen once more," he gestured to her bullet wounds.

Kagome worried her lip between her teeth, grimacing when one of her fangs pierced the flesh. "Oh, shoot." She assessed her wounds, clueless. "How do I heal myself?"

The dog demon resisted the urge to sigh in her company. "Use the same method of the youki cloud, only center it upon your wounds." He said curtly.

As the miko concentrated her youki, he could feel the crackle of energy slither around his body and pulsate in time with her heart. She may have been used to manipulating her reiki before, but she must have come to the conclusion that the two had similar properties for manipulation. Within a matter of seconds Kagome had a handle on the situation, the place where her stomach had been wounded was sealing itself up flawlessly. When she was finished she smiled upwards at him. He looked away.

When they finally returned home, Kagome descended them from the sky and with ease dissipated the youki from her feet. He could see the exertion distinctly on her face, even though she still wore a countenance of joy.

"That was simply amazing," she said, slightly breathless. She wiped sweat from her brow. "I got shot and lived to tell about it, and I saved your sorry ass." A laugh barked out of her that sounded more of a sigh.

Collecting herself, she regarded Sesshoumaru tactfully. "Will you be staying here from now on? I believe you've gotten your share of trouble for the mere hours you've been here. And I don't really feel like getting shot anymore,"

He did not deign to give her an answer; he began to walk to the Higurashi house with an air of authority about him. It was then, following complacently behind him, that she noticed just how fragile he had become. It certainly did not reveal itself within his demeanor, but physically, he was weak, while she herself was strong, infallible. Idly, she thumbed the markings on her left wrist, surprised that he had held the front door open for her to pass through.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, and he merely grunted. Her golden eyes lingered on something near the door, but before he could inspect it himself she lightly took his hand in hers and rolled the sleeve up to his elbow. "Oh," she breathed, startled. "I did this to you on the way here, didn't I?"

Sesshoumaru quipped, "It is nothing."

Kagome fumed. "It _is_ something! It looks like I broke your arm!" She began fussing over it even though he told her succinctly not to. He wrenched his arm away, causing her face to fall and her eyes to glimmer with unshed tears.

"I'll prepare the spare bedroom for you, unless you would prefer the couch?"

There was a derisive sniff from the once-was taiyoukai. "I do not require a bedroll, nor sleep. I shall keep vigil,"

"All night?" she challenged. He shrugged. "You can't stay up all night, or you'll become sleep deprived."

"No such thing has ever happened before," he argued.

"But it will _now_," Kagome urged, sighing when he once again ignored her. He took up his perch beside the kitchen on a chair, looking purposefully away from her. "Fine, be that way. I'll set it up just in case. It's the bedroom right next to mine," just as she was about to leave, a thought crossed her expression. "Oh, by the way," she intoned lightly, "how did you manage to contact me?"

There was a calculated pause to his response, until finally he said, "The shrine's name."

"What?"

"The name of your shrine is Higurashi. I merely spotted it before I had left, and the officer went through some book to find you."

She refused to acknowledge his acuity, but rather nodded silently. Her golden eyes settled upon his form more distinctly than before, noting that he had received several minor cuts and lacerations upon his collarbone and arm. He must have attained them during his first scuffle, she thought. It would be best if she did not raise the topic in front of him—it would remind him all the more of his weakness.

She left him then, and he could faintly hear her muted footfalls traveling up the steps and into her bedroom. Was she even aware that she moved with an unspoken grace of a taiyoukai? He squandered to think that she was so delirious to his righteousness, but it did not go unnoted. The miko was many things, and perceptive didn't seem like one of them.

He hunkered down as much as he could on the wooden chair and felt the unbidden weight upon his lids. He stayed off the fatigue and tried to listen to the sounds all around him, coming up with nothing but the slight shifting of the house's structure every now and then. He was bereft of his superior hearing, leaving him vulnerable. He was lost without his keen nose, making him clueless. He had been unwillingly stripped of all his power, and for what; for a miko to inherit his sublime prowess and sully it? It sickened him.

It also irked him that he could not reach out farther to scope out his surroundings with his youki. He felt utterly nothing from this weak human body, no untapped potential, no hidden powers. Oddly, it was a hollowed feeling which scared him the most.

Something was descending the stairs, and he strained his ears to discern who it was. Whoever it was took no heed in walking softly. He turned slightly to see Kagome's younger brother, Souta, head for the kitchen without pause, ransacking the odd white rectangular box with a flourish. He retrieved a bento box and an unusual water canteen from the box, settling himself at the dinner table and helping himself to his meal.

Souta peered up from a bite and eyed Sesshoumaru. "Wanna snack?" the boy offered. Sesshoumaru glanced away indifferently. "You must be hungry, you missed supper. Did Kagome take you out to eat?"

"This Sesshoumaru requires little sustenance," the taiyoukai said.

"But Kagome said you're mortal now. You need food to live,"

"I plan on not being mortal long enough to starve," growled Sesshoumaru. This boy was trying his patience.

Souta brought the soda to his lips and sipped. Shoved another spoonful of rice into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Kagome said that she took your powers from you. Did you get her priestess powers as well?"

Not inclined to answer forthright, Sesshoumaru delved deep within his consciousness to search for a sign that might detect anything holy. He was awarded with no such thing, and shook his head to Souta. "That's odd," the boy contemplated through a mouthful. "Why did she get yours? Where did her powers go?" he didn't expect an answer, and as such, received none. Souta eyed the dog demon reproachfully. "You won't hurt her, right?"

Sesshoumaru snorted softly. The naïveté. "I could not,"

"Because she could kill you quickly?"

The dog demon's brown eyes slitted dangerously. "Partly," he admitted.

"Do you think you'll ever get them back?"

"I have no distinctive answer,"

A taut silence fell over the two; Souta busied himself with sipping at his drink. "How long do you think you'll be here?"

Sesshoumaru frowned ever so slightly. "The well does not permit us to pass."

"That's strange; it always lets Kagome through."

"This appears to be an exception," the demon supplied.

Souta smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure it'll open up sometime. It can't stay like that forever, right?"

Sesshoumaru had no idea how much time he would stay in this strange village, nor did he know why he had been left with nothing but a weak, mortal shell. He felt tempted to snap the insolent boy's neck for even daring to call him fragile, to be speaking to him so informally. Somehow, he held those temptations away, but there was a slight twitch in the corner of his eye that refused to go away.

"Why didn't Inuyasha come along?" the boy asked.

Sesshoumaru shrugged.

"Does he know you're here?"

Again, he was answered with a shrug.

Souta leaned back in his chair and chugged most of his soda. "Well, he'll be here shortly if sis stays too long. He always fetches her,"

The dog demon chuckled dryly; it was ridiculous that his younger half-brother pine over the miko in such a way, and it was even insulting to their heritage how he doted upon her. If what Souta said was true, then Inuyasha might be the answer for them to finally return to his village. Not that he was particular to his brother, but he no longer wished to be in his current form, or in the strange, foreign place.

Souta made quick work with his mid-night snack, rising with a stretch and a thundering yawn. "Well, I'm hitting the sack. Seriously though, you should sleep, too. You don't need to keep watch,"

Centuries of living within the midst of calamity and danger conditioned the taiyoukai to such deeds, but he did not expect the boy to share his insight. "Hn," he said noncommittally.

Souta bade goodnight and trumped up the stairs just as loudly as he had come. Sesshoumaru resumed his sentinel over the house, fighting off the drowsiness that sapped his strength.

xXx

She was wrestles, tossing between her stomach, back, and her side. It didn't matter which position she was in, there was always a cloying, tugging sensation at her gut that made her physically sick. It was more pronounced than before, when she had been in the bathroom, and thus it intensified and discomforted her at a length. She refused to cry out for her mother like a whimpering child, but the old habit was a hard one to overcome.

She must have been making noises without realizing it; a soft knock came from her door, and she instantly donned a profile of nonchalance when she called her brother in. She knew it was him from the smell before she even realized that was how she identified him. His worried eyes sought her own glowing ones.

"Are you all right?" he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was three in the morning, and it was a Tuesday. A pang of guilt went through her, for she knew he had to get up for school.

She patted the bed and sat up, inclining him to join her. When he sat down she visibly relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from her chest. "Yes, I think I'll be fine," she said truthfully. Already the tautness in her muscles and the force that had stolen her breath was dissipating in her brother's company.

Souta looked up at his sister. "Were you having a nightmare?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I think it's ju—" suddenly, she gripped her stomach and grimaced in pain. A small whimper escaped her lips.

"Kagome?" Souta probed, lightly shaking his sister's shoulders.

Her cries of pain became more pronounced as the agony intensified within her core, searing through her very being relentlessly. It was akin to having several blades puncture through your skin and explode upon impact. It was worse than the bullet wounds from earlier, and this time she didn't think she could heal this problem so easily.

Upon instinct the miko called forth her reiki, her spiritual powers, to aid her. All that responded was a slithering, writhing evil that dwelled within her core—Sesshoumaru's youki. It was not something to be trifled with, but it was hers, shouldn't she be able to utilize it by now? Attempting to harness the great force and draw out a small amount, her grip slackened and lost its footing when another tremor rocked through her body. Searching for purchase, she held dearly on to this energy as pain consumed her.

Souta called out to his sister so loudly that it stirred the taiyoukai downstairs. He could hear Kagome's pained moans coming from her bedroom as he made his way up the stairs. Sesshoumaru spotted the miko's supine body and her brother, and felt the sizzling of youki that was his through his skin and his hair.

"What's wrong with her?" Souta cried, nudging Kagome's limp shoulder. "Why is she in so much pain?"

Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru crossed the short distance and knelt before the woman, finding it mildly difficult to ignore the buffeting energy against him. "She is losing control," he stated flatly. He tried to nudge Kagome, but she hardly stirred. She was stuck within her own oblivion.

"Can you help her?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at the boy slightly. "Only as much as she can help herself,"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

The dog demon crept nearer to the miko, until he was almost nose to nose with her. Had he been a youkai it would have been a simpler process to flush out her demonic energies so that they were not consuming her, but in this case he had to make an exception. If he wasn't careful enough she would transform and destroy the house, rampaging blindly in her dog form.

Sesshoumaru placed a hand on the miko's brow, ignoring the heat which burned his flesh. "Miko," he said. "You must find an outlet to your youki, or else you will transform. I do not think you wish to destroy your hut."

Her eyes slowly opened, golden and glowing intensely within the moonlight. He assumed that she had understood, so he began to instruct. "Do not reign in your youki any longer; that will only allow more than you can handle to leak through your grip. Abandon it completely, before it immerses you."

The wind outside had picked up since he had entered the room, as well as the temperature. He had to guess it was climbing into a smoldering temperature that would cook them if she did not harness control. Through her half-slit eyes he could see her sclera's bleeding red, and on her cheeks the magenta strips were turning bulky and jagged.

"You're not doing this right," gritted Sesshoumaru. "Do not let it over-power you. It is _your_ power now, so subdue it!"

Her face was elongating, her nose turning into a triangular snout, her head swelled as her hair line receded and her ears turned white and furry. He cupped her hand in his own and squeezed as hard as he could, biting back the pain when her talons pierced his flesh as they grew. Her strength burgeoned before his eyes, and for one instant he didn't believe he had the power to quell it. As the room simmered in her enormous power and her body continued its slow metamorphosis, Sesshoumaru went through everything he knew about what his father had done to him when he began to unwillingly transform.

"Miko," he strained once more, hoping that she could at least understand him. She was turning more feral every second. "Stop this right now! You will hurt your family if you do not cease this instant!"

Without folly, Sesshoumaru brought his hand up and slapped her across the face. It appeared to not faze her at first, but then her savage gaze penalized him. Conscious thought returned slowly to her face as her demon markings shrank from her cheekbones and her profile returned to that of a human once more. The youki that had been so prominent within the room abated considerably; Sesshoumaru had forgotten all about the younger boy until he had released a held breath.

Kagome settled into a deep slumber, negligent of her company once more. He watched curiously as her chest rose and fell in deep breaths, and it amazed him how she was now fast asleep. A memory surfaced of himself transforming against his will at one point, and when his father had eventually snapped the younger taiyoukai from his senses, he hadn't felt like sleeping; he felt like he had been torn in two and been fed to the wolves.

Something to his left caught his eye; there was a gleam coming from within her closet that he had not noticed before. He moved the partial door and met Tokijin, the blade which was forged by the hatred of a single powerful demon. It had rejected him before, and wisely so; he would have fallen under its illusion while wearing the guise of a human. He turned slightly to look at the sleeping miko girl. She must have gotten it when he had left, and it was clear it had not influenced her any. Tenseiga rested beside it. He had not realized that she had taken possession of it, and could not find an answer as to how she could have gotten it.

Slowly, the dog demon stood and exited the room, Souta trailing at his heels. He did not wish to console the frightened boy, but he felt an obligation to at least say something so he would cease to distress over his sister. "She is fine," was all he dared to offer, heading down the stairs and returning to his post.

Souta followed him down, much to his chagrin. He approached the taiyoukai cautiously, his eyes never resting on him for more than a few seconds. "Can I, um, ask a favour of you?" the boy dawdled, nervously twiddling his thumbs.

Sesshoumaru arched a delicate brow. Souta took this as an invitation and plundered ahead. "Could you teach my sister how to control her powers? I mean, if anyone could, it would be you, right? I just don't want her to burn the house down, or accidentally hurt someone, because she'd _hate_ that, and Mama would be upset—"

"I will do it." Sesshoumaru cut in.

Souta's eyes brightened in the dim lighting. "You… will?"

Sesshoumaru affirmed this with a nod.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama,"

As the boy left him once again in peace, Sesshoumaru was weak to defend against the call of sleep himself. He refused, however, to submit to this human weakness. He would continue to keep vigil, because if Kagome had been so easily prone to a fit, than he would not know when the next time she would have one. He reminisced on when his father was teaching him about their dog nature, and what it implied. Although this power was securely kept and envied across the lands, it came at a great cost. Every inuyoukai of Sesshoumaru's status knew how to maintain their youki so as not to be overwhelmed by it, or they would surely transform and lose all conscious thought.

He realized now that he had to teach the miko girl, whether he deigned to do it or not. He would be responsible for her if she turned rouge and destroyed everything in her path, and he would not be on the other end of the blame if he could help it. _Tomorrow_, he decided. _That is when I shall teach her._

xXx

Alrighty, chapter two is done! I hope you all enjoy it, because I am.

Please review on your way out!


	3. Animal I Have Become

**A/N: **Here's the next chapter. It's jam-packed with action! Also, I would like to inform the readers that I am more than happy with the reviews, alerts, and favourites that you have been giving me! It is really encouraging, and I shall deliver! More importantly, this story will be updated every odd Monday, and sometimes a bit sooner for the shorter chapters.

Now, onward to chapter three!

xXx

Human Like Me

**Animal I Have Become**

Sesshoumaru was aware of when Kagome had risen in the morning thanks to her guttural groans, which _should_ have wakened the rest of the household. As her sounds became louder and more urgent, he fought with himself to decide if he should remain downstairs and out of her way, or to check on her. When it appeared—fifteen long agonizing minutes later—that everyone in the house slept like a rock and wouldn't be tending to the miko, he stood from his perch and stretched out his cramped limbs.

He knocked lightly on her door, and she grunted for him to come in. He found her curled up in a tight ball hugging her abdomen, her face pale and her cheeks streaked with dried tears. She took no notice of him as he approached her like a feral animal. "What is wrong?" he asked bluntly.

She groaned, clutching herself tightly for an instant before relaxing. "I don't know," she whispered, fresh tears budding in her eyes. She could smell the salt from them and it was making her sicker. "I have a huge headache, and now I have cramps."

Sesshoumaru was no doctor, but he recognized the signs surely enough. Though she had inherited centuries old power, she was no more than a pup in reality, which couldn't control her powers before they ripped her apart. He should have anticipated this happening, for when pups went through their first transition into growing their powers they were subject to 'growing pains.' She just happened to be harbouring triple the amount a normal pup should have, because his power was thrice the amount of a younger inuyoukai, so it was taking its toll upon her body with her lack of training.

"This stage shall pass soon," he said to her. "These are what you humans would call growing pains."

Kagome sniffed and peered up at him. "R-really? Can you help me get through it?"

"It is not something to 'get through,' miko. You must learn to control it, or let it control you."

As he sat up to leave she gripped his arm, tighter than she had wanted, but it stayed him briefly. "Please, help me?" she pleaded, another convulsion shuddering through her body. "It hurts."

He recalled when he had been going through a similar transition, centuries ago, but it was faded with time and he held no sympathy for her. He wrenched his grasp from her frail fingers to leave her in solace, telling himself that she needed to pull herself together before it destroyed her slowly.

"Sess...shomaru, please." Her fingers stretched out toward him, pleading, helpless, begging. "I just want you to help me."

For one second he considered staying and aiding her, but that was after he remembered that he cared for no one but himself, and that her troubles weren't his.

"You don't have to be so cruel... you weren't through this, right? Please, can't you just understand that I... that I need help... " Another agonizing tremour rocked Kagome's body, and she felt bile rise to the back of her throat threatening.

The demon lord regarded the miko reproachfully, taking in her vulnerable state, and relishing the fact that she was being punished for ever getting his power. With one last, futile plea from Kagome, he promptly turned about on his heel and left.

He wandered about the top floor of the Higurashi home and wound up finding the bathroom. A mirror portrayed his countenance from the far wall; his human brown eyes, his ebony hair, and his lack of markings were all freshly opened wounds to his pride.

He had never seen such a thing before that could reflect one's own appearance, but he thought it cursed, rigged with magic. He smashed the mirror into tiny pieces, bloodying his one good hand in the process. Glass should not have been able to maim his thick skin so easily, and yet this sort of substance had. It must have been infused with witchcraft. Sesshoumaru trotted away from the mess he had made, licking delicately on his bleeding wound. Even his blood tasted differently to his tongue, and it sickened him.

Mrs. Higurashi greeted Sesshoumaru in the kitchen, holding a tray with a full glass of orange juice and scrambled eggs. "I wasn't sure what you liked to eat, but who could go wrong with this, right?" she offered him a cheerful smile that reached her warm eyes. Sesshoumaru did not feel like the recipient to her kindness, however.

"I do not require food," he stated simply, marching past her and out the screen door.

"Then would you like a pair of fresh clothing? You're still, um…" Mrs. Higurashi blushed, not wanting to be rude by bringing up his recent incarceration.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at his white jumpsuit indifferently, about to ignore her offer. "If you go out and the police see you, they'll think you've escaped."

He contemplated this. "Fetch me more suitable attire," he told her then, moving to the living room and planting himself regally on the couch. Even in a prison uniform he managed to make it work. Kagome's mom scuttled about to her bedroom, retrieving a few garments from her father's closet.

She offered him a simple kimono to wear; though it would look tacky, it would be less ostentatious than his prison outfit. "I hope it fits; you've got such long legs!"

Sesshoumaru took the clothes from her hands. "Hn."

"You men are always so tightlipped," Mrs. Higurashi shook her head wantonly. "But I accept your gratitude, nonetheless." She gave him a surreptious wink.

As he headed out the door, Kagome's mother called to him again. "Have you checked on Kagome lately? She was in a lot of pain this morning."

"She will be fine," he answered, sparing her not another glance as he slid the door open and stepped into the misty morning. Though his nose was dulled considerably, he could still make out the scent of tar and retching stink that polluted the air. He refrained from clamping his hand over his nose as he made way toward the large staircase, glancing at the shrine where the Well sat, dormant and useless. He thought it would be pointless to check it himself; he would not even know the difference of an active well or an inactive one and the fact that it had transported them to some other dimension was proof that he was clueless to these events.

Besides, the miko would've told him if something had changed.

With an air of indifference he immersed himself once more among the population of Tokyo, mindful that he no longer could smell the cloying scent of human. It was semi pleasant to be rid of this sense just for this instant, but he longed to have his heightened abilities that have guided him trustingly over the centuries. Even though he lacked his superior hearing, the noise that filtered through was enough to make him wince. Large tin objects were littering the ground and going opposite ends, sometimes turning at the same points or stopping randomly.

He gazed high up and noted that these villagers had huts taller than the clouds, which struck him as odd, since how would they be able to care for their livestock so far up?

He decided that he no longer cared, because human trivialities weren't applied to him. Though he was in flesh a mortal, he was a great dog demon, who commanded his own attention by those around him. Oddly enough, fellow domesticated dogs that resembled his brethren if they had been small pups were scurrying away with their tails between their legs at the sight of him. _They know who their master is,_ he thought confidently, taking great pride in the way his subjects still commanded him, even in this foreign land.

The miko had been struggling to retain her normalcy during her battle with his youki, which subsumed her entire being without much hassle. If she did not learn quickly to quell these urges that would forever be present, than, she was placing herself, as well as her family in mortal danger. Not that he dared to admit that he cared for them—which he didn't, but he would be displeased to see that fruitless destruction was brought upon them by a simple accident.

His thoughts strayed to the youkai who had been pursuing him for a month within the feudal era, the demoness who called herself Azara. Ever since the Shikon no Tama had been completed, she had been more than usually persistent when it came to facing him in a battle. She had always been rude and insolent to her superiors, and Sesshoumaru had been no exception. Since resenting her suit some two hundred years ago in return for a peace treaty of her tribe Azara had made it her goal to ascertain his power and rule under his name. Then he had simply thought she desired to usurp his position as Lord of the Western Lands, but now he could see her clear intent. The demoness had always meant to snatch his powers away, but this time she had failed due to some fluke accident.

Whatever had happened to reverse his role with the human miko was not sitting well with him, mainly because none of this had been his doing. When he finally found Azara he would cleave her head clean off her shoulders and show it to her clan. The feud would then be snuffed out because then they would fear his awesome prowess and would not challenge him further. That demoness held within her a spiteful grudge, one that would not be stopped by attaining his powers alone, he knew. What the miko would think of this, if he ever desired to share upon his knowledge of the youkai who gave her his powers, would undoubtedly be interesting, for she tended to create reactions to situations he never thought would be possible. The only reaction he was waiting for from the miko now was how she handled the unbridled rage building within her core as he spoke. Would she pull through each time her powers harnessed her will and threatened to consume her? Only time would tell, he supposed bitterly.

As he strayed aimlessly through the streets, he was greeted by a young boy at his side. At first he did not recognize the youth, but then he realized it to be the miko's younger brother.

"Sesshoumaru-san?" the boy said, reducing his honorific to one of similar status. Sesshoumaru fought to bristle at this.

"I am a lord, and shall be addressed as such," he intoned. "Now what is it?"

"Kagome… she's…" he trailed off, a flash of terror apparent behind his brown eyes. "She's acting like last night. It's different than before, though; she's physically changing. It's… scary."

Sesshoumaru stilled, ignoring the people around him that pushed past them. "Is she showing signs of morphing again?" he arched a brow.

"Yes! She looks like some sort of dog hybrid off of a horror movie!"

Sesshoumaru reminded himself to ask the miko what a 'movie' was.

He followed the boy back to their shrine without haste. If she hadn't transformed fully now than it meant she was at least fighting, but obviously not hard enough. He found it troublesome that the one time he wished to summon his spherical ball of energy that was his favourite method of conveyance was with the miko girl, and stifled an agitated growl as he walked behind the youth.

When they finally returned home, there was a distinct difference both of them noticed; the front door of the house had been shredded to pieces, and the door was casted aside near the God Tree. "That… wasn't like that when I left," Souta breathed, stilled by shock.

Sesshoumaru keenly pieced together the trail that the miko girl had left behind; broken pots, upturned rock tiles of the shrines floor, to where their backyard was. He noticed that she owned a smaller hut that had been thoroughly ransacked, their possessions strewn about the floor like autumn leaves. He found her not so long after that, midway through the transformation process. She was only the size of a bear in her dog form, but as the youki swirled and pooled beneath and around her in sharp, winding eddies, she began to grow to exponential heights.

"Miko," he called sternly, instructing the boy to stay a safe distance away. Staring into a much smaller version of what his mother would have looked like if she had been in her full form, he approached her much like a human would a rabid, frightened animal. Kagome's jaws clicked together in warning as he got within six feet of her, just enough which if he were to take a few extra steps he could reach out and touch her matted muzzle.

"You must stop this at once," he commanded, letting his eyes bore into her red ones. She would learn that he was the alpha, and that she would kneel to him. "Bare your throat, you insolent mutt!"

When she merely snarled and made a quick snap for his remaining arm, Sesshoumaru bounced backwards, not as quickly as he would have thought—he barely missed her razor sharp jaws brushing past his shirt sleeve. Kagome was now so in tune with her demonic form that she had forgotten she was truly human. This would prove a problem for him.

Conjuring memories from back when he was a pup for guidance, he fought with dodging her tentative snips and concentrating on finding a method to breaking her spell. He noticed that she had already grown in size since he had ventured upon her, and now she was shoulder with the small hut over in the distance. Her tongue rolled out of her mouth as thick, cloying poison seeped from her pores.

"Miko, reign in your poison. You are in the presence of this Lord Sesshoumaru, so act accordingly." He thought that maybe now she would see reason and respect his title, but she answered him with a swat of her massive paw. He narrowly maneuvered around her, only because she was not accustomed to dwelling in a form so massive compared to her own. He stared into her eyes as her maw opened widely to release more gaseous poison that spread through the air. He thanked the wind that blew it away from his prone form.

Kagome began to pursue him, angling around him to try and get him cornered. Thus was the instinct of her being, of an inuyoukai, to corner and maim her prey. Her predatory eyes pinned him down as her target, and unless he found a way to quickly reel in her temper, he would be at the mercy of her burgeoning fury. He would not be the subject of her fury, would not be treated as an inferior being when _she_ was beneath him.

She took another probing swat at his form, her nostrils twitching as she scented the air delicately, probably smelling his distress, which would only increase her entertainment.

Talking didn't seem like it would get him anywhere, so he placated her, hoping she wouldn't grow any larger in such a short amount of time.

She was not fully transformed enough to be truly a threat to him, but she was big enough to continue causing extensive damage to her home. _Foolish woman, if she only could have held it in for a few more moments._

Souta approached Sesshoumaru, his eyes never leaving his sister's alienated form. "Is she gonna be all right?" he asked.

"She is beyond reason for now," he said.

Souta's lip quivered when Kagome singled him out. Her rear legs bunched for flight. Sesshoumaru swept the boy up and neatly dodged her attack, though it placed a great strain on his back from lifting the hundred and thirty pound youth. He set him down and without missing a beat, flung himself out of the way of Kagome's massive talons. Her maw clacked together in frustration.

"We're your family, Kagome!" Souta called, waving his arms about him. _Idiot,_ Sesshoumaru thought. _He'll get himself killed. _"Don't hurt us! Snap out of it!"

The great dog reared her head back and emitted a large howl that shook the ground beneath their feet. Souta wobbled unsteadily on his spaghetti legs, though Sesshoumaru anchored himself in a low crouch to shake off the wrath. He had to act, and quickly—she was growing bigger and bigger by the minute.

He turned to the youth and studied him closely, wondering if he could utilize him in some way to break through the miko's trance. "You are most familiar with her," he gestured to Kagome. "Do you know of a way to stop her?"

Souta trembled slightly at being addressed, but otherwise shook his head. "Not that I can think of. Does this happen to all of your…kind?"

Sesshoumaru grunted. "Some have less control than others, although it is rare that one might lose total control."

"So Kagome's…?"

The taiyoukai exhaled a breath of air. "We shall soon see."

With his notion that she had not yet strayed from her backyard, nor had she gone and demolished the entire infrastructure of her household, that there must be some conscious thought pervading her irrational youkai mind. Sesshoumaru clung to the meager hope that she would respond to reason in time. Too quickly he had to barrel-roll out of the way when she lunged through the air straight towards him. He landed a safe distance away from her massive paws, but she jarred the earth when she landed. His teeth chattered painfully in his mouth.

He didn't have a chance to roll to his feet when she launched again, throwing all of her weight up into the air to come crashing down on his body. He found himself pinned between two behemoth sized paws that restrained his shoulders from moving. He tried to kick at her underbelly but his legs fell short, for she was too large. He could just smell the taint of the acid leaking from her mouth when she howled in glory at her find. Sesshoumaru struggled to attain leverage, but he could not get a good enough foothold on the earth to push himself out of her grasp. His lungs felt like something was pressing down on them, for breathing was labourous and excruciating. _Does she realize that she is harming me at all?_ He thought crudely.

Kagome lifted up one paw from his good shoulder and sniffed him, her breath whooshing out across his face when she exhaled with a chortle. She repeated the action, scenting him once more, and he hoped that what he saw across her profile was some sort of cognizance.

"Miko," he said, though it came out but a weakened whisper, "Return to yourself and get off of me this instant. This Sesshoumaru will not take failure for an answer,"

She showed no signs of abating to his demand. His mind racing, he called to Souta over his shoulder. "Get the blade within her closet!" He hoped he didn't have to specify _which_ one to the boy, he thought as he endured Kagome's teasing nature that would surely turn into mauling. Souta was gone in a flash, not gone more than thirty seconds before he stumbled out of the broken entryway with Tenseiga clamped tightly within his hands.

"Give it to me!"

Souta bravely ran towards Sesshoumaru despite the questioning look in his sister's demonic eyes. The youth slid the blade far enough for Sesshoumaru to snatch it. The former inuyoukai held the blade in front of Kagome's face and watched with muted shock as it pulsated and responded to her energy. A flash of recognition passed through her large eyes as he ordered her to get off of him.

Slowly, she lifted up her other paw that had been pinning him down and stepped away, sitting down on her haunches. Sesshoumaru rose very slowly; partly due to the pain in his limbs and the need to not excite her further with appearing to run off. He noted that she scrutinized him closely, and that she gave off no intent of pursuing him again. She must have finally been brought to her senses.

"Smother the youki that you have collected into yourself, and transform this minute," Sesshoumaru barked, clutching at his ribs as agony seared through them. Souta caught up with him and watched as Kagome began the long, arduous process of transferring back into her human shell. Sesshoumaru knew first hand that transforming back was a lot harder than getting to become the great white dog youkai, but he spared no sympathy as her whines filled the air around them. "Do not let the pain stop you; keep going."

It took all of ten minutes for Kagome to be brought back to herself. She was nude, and quickly collapsed on the ground face-first. Souta rushed to retrieve his mother while Sesshoumaru approached Kagome's comatose body, sneering at her. _You almost got all of us killed, you foolish woman. I must not let you out of my sight again if I am not to repeat this action._ Wordlessly, he slung her over his good shoulder and started in for the house. He secured Tenseiga to his side near the girl, mindful of its effect on her.

_Perhaps Father did not make just one Fang that could subdue a demon's will. _

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes were glassy with unshed tears when she spotted her daughter incapacitated and slung over Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

The concerned mother rushed to Sesshoumaru's side and studied her daughter. She said nothing to the fact that she was covered with magenta strips on her wrists, ankles, and few on her ribcage, hipbones, shoulders, or the fact that her hair was fine and silver. She treated her daughter like she had never changed at all. "Let's get her to her room. Please, follow me."

The dog demon followed the mother up to Kagome's bedroom, where he deposited her on the bed and didn't so much as glance at her exposed state. As an afterthought he placed Tenseiga at the foot of her bed. He left her to her mother's care, pausing by the door when Mrs. Higurashi spoke.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," her words were soft and gentle. Sesshoumaru nodded and left the room.

_Save her?_ He thought snidely. _I did not save her; I was not strong enough._

xXx

Kagome felt the pull of unconsciousness threaten to take her under into longer, blissful sleep. She fought against it, wanting to be sure that she was still alive and that she hadn't destroyed all of Tokyo, or was in a jail cell being charged for disturbing the peace by turning into a rampant dog. There was presence near her that was occupying it with her. She reached out and found a hand, gripping it tightly. "Mama," Kagome sighed, leaning into her mother's touch.

She almost allowed herself to sink back into sleep; she curled up closer to her comforting mother and played idly with her fingers, just like she would have done if she were a child again. Her mother always managed to chase away the demons even without words, as she was doing now; she was a quiet sentinel that protected her children rigorously.

Kagome heaved in a long, breathy sigh, and quickly withdrew her hand and scooted away. Sesshoumaru. She cracked a golden eye open and sure enough the demon was perched upon the side of her bed with an irate expression on his otherwise stony face. Blushing, she scooted back even further, realizing that she had just been cuddling with him. But he hadn't shied away. Not thinking too much into it, Kagome spoke with a raspy edge to her voice.

"I changed, didn't I?"

Sesshoumaru nodded once. Kagome smothered her face into the pillow in embarrassment.

"I'm _so_ sorry," she whined, "I didn't mean to! I just… it was so much darkness that I couldn't see…"

"It's fine."

Her head snapped up quickly. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew she hadn't imagined what he had said. "It… is?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, unwilling to explain himself. He withdrew his hand from the bed to his lap, either because he thought she was going to reach for it again or because of something else. "I should have not been harsh on your training. If I had taught you properly, you wouldn't have lost control."

Was she hearing things properly? Was Sesshoumaru _apologizing _to her, in his own unique way? She didn't acknowledge it, but she didn't chastise him about his mistake, either.

"Well, I would like you to teach me now."

Brown eyes slanted her way. "Perhaps, but not now,"

"But now is as good as any, isn't it?"

He somberly shook his head. "It is not time."

"But I could go crazy any moment! How do you know when I will be a danger, and when I won't? Wouldn't it be practical to just teach me now?" Fury ignited the red in her eyes, but she quickly diminished it when she sensed the darkness' presence. Kagome bowed her head in shame.

"As you see, you have no prior training on how to deal with dark energies. You are skilled with reiki, not youki, which is why you fall so easily into its dealings."

"Then how do I get out of that?" she pressed.

He studied her intently, until it made her uncomfortable enough to look away. "You must throw yourself to its feet and challenge it." He said finally.

Kagome bristled at this, aware of the youki stirring around her body, but ignored it. "If I do that I'll change!"

"Not if you conquer it and make it listen to you," he snipped.

"How do you know I'll succeed?"

The room stilled as Sesshoumaru thought of how to answer her without seeming like he didn't know what he was doing. As a demon since birth, dealing with his youki came second-naturedly, nothing more than swatting away a pestering fly from his consciousness. But with Kagome, a miko through part of her life and with strong connections to her pure energy, the darkness easily subsumed her and took control of her better judgment.

Sesshoumaru turned towards her slightly so that his body was exposed to her. She didn't realize this, but it was his way to say that he was putting some faith into her control over herself by exposing his weakest point. "You must," was what he responded.

Kagome straightened up so now she was propped against her headboard, noticing that her mother had changed her into her pajamas. They were blue cotton material with little white and black cows dancing across the clouds. She blushed slightly but refused to cover herself. "What do I do?" she asked him, addressing the sifting material of youki that was beginning to gradually increase. "It comes without me calling it, and it takes over when I say no. How do I get rid of it?"

"You do not." He stated. "You have to conquer it. It will bow to your whim once you have proven you are stronger than its control."

"How do I do that?"

The once-was taiyoukai stifled a sigh of impatience. He was not the epitome of all knowledge, the girl must realize this. He knew so much, and cared to give little away, to maintain his aloof and indifferent appearance. Telling this girl all of his secrets didn't sit well with him; neither did having her come to terms with her new awesome power under his tutelage. Should he direct her in the wrong path they could wind up in the same predicament as today, and he had to make her understand somehow.

"I cannot deal with all of your problems, but I can show you a method to wield the youki. The rest is entirely up to you."

He didn't miss the way her eyes glittered, or the tiny sniff she made in order to control her gratified tears. "Stand," he ordered.

She wrestled out of her blankets and teetered on wobbly legs. He steadied her by the elbow and drew her to the center of her room, where he towered over her petite form just a foot away. Kagome tried to ignore the proximity, or the quixotic way her heart thudded within her chest when he stared directly at her. She hoped she wasn't suffering from the condition known as Bed Head.

He gestured for her to raise one of her hands. To her surprise, he took it within his strong, warm one. Her cheeks threatened to colour when he closed his eyes and began to stroke her hand within his own. _What's he doing…?_

As if he could read her thoughts, he replied magnanimously. "This is something that my clan uses to treat a fellow comrade who is experiencing difficulties with their transformation process. I will share an amount of your youki so that it will become more manageable to control. Until you have learned to discipline yourself, I shall return portions of your youki, where you will begin the process once more. This is better than nothing."

She tried to focus on anything else but the way his solid hand massaged hers, but it proved useless when he encouraged her to reciprocate his actions. "Imagine a bridge. Transfer your youki into my being, and I shall tell you when it is a sufficient amount."

"But you're human now, won't it harm you?"

He opened one eye to glare at her, immediately snapping her jaws shut. "I am more than capable of maintaining and controlling my _own_ youki." He hissed.

Kagome imagined that their connected hands became the proverbial bridge, and that her energy was crossing it onto his. At first it resisted, fluctuating and undulating without much sense. With a push she sent it hurtling to his side of the bridge, where she felt more than heard him wince as it connected with his spirit. She felt the need to pull away, but he held tightly onto her hand, demanding that she transfer more until he deemed it enough.

It lasted another agonizing half of a minute before he jerkily wrenched his hand away. His flesh sizzled and was singed from his wrist to his elbow, but he gave no more indication of pain than the taut look on his face. Kagome worried over him, taking the part of his hand that wasn't injured into both of hers, wishing she had a way to heal them.

"Release me, woman," he snarled, yanking his hand away once more.

Kagome reached out, but he drew back just as quickly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you. And I have a name," she added hotly.

"That was nothing, and I shall call you whatever I so choose," he spat.

"Okay, then I don't have to call you Sesshoumaru-sama. I'll call you... " she pursed her lips in deep thought. "Sesshy-chan."

If there was a description for the world's most scariest look, it wouldn't have even come close to describing the horriying glare that he sent her. Her stomach plummeted, and she suddenly felt demure and flustered.

"Okay... maybe I won't call you _that..._ but at least _try_ to use my name?"

As Sesshoumaru tended to his wounds, keeping her words in mind, Kagome assessed her own status. No longer was there an ever present contest for power over her will with the darkness that was considered a threat. A miniscule tug of the youki brushed across her senses, but she had enough control to banish it with ease. It was a massive relief on her part, one that she would have to thank Sesshoumaru for.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, bowing her head low to expose the back of her neck. It seemed to be the right thing to do in these circumstances. "Can you please let me treat your wounds, since I caused them?" she pressed stubbornly, meeting his steady gaze with adamant intent.

Sesshoumaru contemplated letting the miko touch him, slightly concerned that the youki might attempt to jump out and return to her. But his worries were pointless and irrational; he had full control over it and would not allow for the opportunity to appear for it to cease her once more. He accepted her offering with a nod of his head, following after her into the bathroom where she located the medicine cabinet and retrieved a first aid kit. She stilled when she noticed that the cabinet lacked a mirror that she had been positive was there yesterday.

Without letting him know that she was staring at him, she glanced down at his injured hand, noticing that he had perforations across his fingers that she hadn't noticed before. There were clots where the wounds had been bleeding. She took another look at the cabinet. She pursed her lips together thoughtfully, but did not comment on her findings.

He allowed her to inspect the wound more clearly, and he heard her murmuring to herself about what it looked like. "Probably a burn… but it looks like a lesion… I'll just bandage it, and…"

He tuned her out until he felt her snatch his hand. He was adamant that he would ignore her until she was finished fussing over him when he felt something sharp and painful bite his skin. He tore his hand from her and held his hand to his chest, seething as the pain continued to sizzle on his skin. "What did you do, wench?" he gritted, wishing he could use his Whip Lash to fry her.

Kagome blinked once, slowly, and then came to a realization. "Oh, that's just antiseptic. It's to make sure you don't get an infection. It's more potent than what you would find on the herbs in the feudal era, but it's just as effective."

"I will not get an infection. I am incapable of such trivial wounds."

Kagome huffed and reached for his hand, but he relented and drew into himself. "Don't be so difficult! You're more prone to an infection than before, because it's an open wound, and you're now a human. Just let me wrap it up and I promise to leave it alone, okay?"

Sesshoumaru hissed and antagonized her with his eyes alone, trying to sense deceit behind her voice. He wished for his sensitive nose, for her scent would betray her emotions for him. Kagome herself could smell the doubt and hesitance on him, and wished he could just trust her more. She also relented to the fact that he trusted no one, and, especially being vulnerable in his state, would be even more stubborn than normal. Like a beaten, untrustworthy dog, she waited patiently for him to come to her.

When she thought that he wasn't going to cooperate at all, he stuck out his arm, looking away from her as he gave her permission to continue her treatment. A smile pulled at the tips of her lips, but she covered it for now, mechanically going through the process of treating her patient. When the wrappings were secured in a way that she was pleased with, she announced that he was free to go as she packed up her things and returned them to where they were found.

She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see him still sitting on the bathtub edge, prodding at his injury. _Does he think I did it improperly? _She thought surly, biting back any snide remarks that she thought of.

He stood gracefully, if not just a little unsteadily, passing by her in the cramped bathroom. "This is acceptable," he told her, disappearing around the corner and down the stairs.

Kagome blinked quizzically, before she realized that he had thanked her for doing a good job. But was it for wrapping his injury, or finally listening to his advice and not going nuts? She decided that maybe she'd never find out, and returned to her room. When her head hit the pillow, she managed to peek at the time of night before the drowsiness took her under. The clock read 7:06 pm.

Unfortunately, thirty minutes later she heard the incessant ring of the phone from downstairs. It went off for five rings before her Souta finally answered.

"Hello? Yes, she's home, actually… you want to speak with her? Okay… yeah, just hold on a moment."

Kagome could hear Souta arriving with the phone. Before he knocked she summoned him in.

"It's Yuka, I think," he said with a shrug. Kagome snatched the phone, suddenly flustered.

"Hello?"

"Kagome!" the girl chirped into Kagome's sensitive ear. "You're finally home. I didn't think they had released you from the hospital yet after your episode with gangrene!"

Kagome refused to scream. _Gramps! Really? Gangrene? Ugh._ "Y-yeah, I'm feeling much better now," she hedged. "What's up?"

"Well, since you're back now I wanted to know if you're going to school tomorrow morning."

"Oh, yeah, about that…" biting her lip, she searched for some excuse, but couldn't find one before her friend interrupted.

"You see, it's the winter dance next Friday, and Hojo was wondering…"

"Oh, no! Please, don't set me up with him."

"But Kagome, he's so hooked up on you! It was a fight between him and your grandfather to see you when you were in the hospital last. He's totally head-over-heels for you!"

_That's the problem; he doesn't give me any space…_ "Just, don't tell him that I'm feeling better, okay? He'll assume it's an invitation to come and see me."

"But why wouldn't you want him to come over? You _are_ feeling better, aren't you?"

Kagome balked. "Uh, y-yeah, but I don't want visitors!"

"Whatever. Come to school tomorrow, and maybe we'll find someone _else_ to go to the dance with you. Unless you're planning on bringing your rude, obnoxious, conceited, over-protective—"

"I get it, Yuka."

"…Boyfriend."

"He's not going," Kagome leaned back in her bed and sighed. "Although I sort of wished he was right now."

"Jeesh, you need to let him go. He's just bringing you down." She heard Yuka sigh on the other end. "I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."

Kagome hung up the phone and released a pent-up growl within her throat. It sounded more animalistic than she had intended, which scared her momentarily. She _would_ go to school, if because of having nothing else to do and she would set Hojo straight once and for all. Maybe she would even show him what she looked like now—surely that would scare him off.

Piteously, she rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes, not acknowledging Sesshoumaru's presence at the door when she scented him in the air.

xXx

Sesshoumaru moved away from Kagome's bedroom after she was finished talking, knowing she would soon sense his presence once the distraction was gone. His intentions were to quiz her about how she had gotten possession over Tenseiga, then he decided it didn't really matter at all; it was here with him, and it would hold a reasonable amount of control over her augmenting strength.

He returned downstairs and resumed his guard when he encountered Mrs. Higurashi coming into the house, holding within her arms a package that looked particularly heavy. She spotted him and she smiled humbly.

"Oh, I was just about to look for you," she said pleasantly. Piqued, Sesshoumaru approached the woman and stared at the bundle in her hands. "I got this from the police station. I had forgotten to tell Kagome to get it back. But this is all your clothing."

Sesshoumaru accepted the package, murmuring thanks before opening it. He was pleased to see his clothing returned in perfect condition as always. No doubt the guards would have had a say in what he wore, and would feel guilty of imprisoning a noble. He would don these tomorrow, but left them on the kitchen table for the time being, returning to his perch. He was all too aware of the fact that his injuries were causing great pain, whereas they would have been healed already. His ribs ached in places they never had before and his arm was in scorching pain. He was not about to allow his own youki take control over him like it was for Kagome, and thus it was easily repressed by his superior strength of will.

He fought once more against the pull of unconsciousness, which he lacked the strength to fend off. It was stronger tonight, but he was determined to have his will be stronger. As son of the great Dog General of the Western Lands, he would suffer through in silence.

xXx

I would like to express my many thanks to mine beta, **madin456**, for fixing up my loose ends and reminding me to add certain explanations to things that I had otherwise left out!

Please review on your way out!


	4. Mr Know It All

**A/N: **Soooo sorry about the delay! Things got all discombobulated, and this is why it is being posted on Friday, instead of the Mondays I promised... Thank you all for the alerts! It is a refresher to know that people are reading this, and with an abundance, is more meaningful than a review at times! Ily all!

Anyways, keeping Kelly Clarkson in mind (who is, hands-down, my favourite female singer), onwards to chapter four!

xXx

Human Like Me

**Mr. Know-It-All**

Light filtered through the kitchen window, illuminating a statuesque form that stood vigil for the Higurashi household. His face was drawn in fatigue and his shoulders were hunched over, but he fought off the dizziness that overwhelmed him whenever he so much as stood and worked out his stiffening muscles. It was no later than two hours after sunrise, and already the house was beginning to stir with activity.

He acknowledged briefly Kagome's younger brother when he entered the kitchen area and began to prepare himself breakfast, and acknowledged even briefer Kagome's grandfather. The old coot eyed the taiyoukai in warning before rummaging around and fixing himself a bowl of cereal. When Mrs. Higurashi entered the kitchen and began to prepare meals for her children's lunches, all that was missing was Kagome.

Curiously, Sesshoumaru deigned to check upon her. She didn't strike him at first to be the time to sleep past midday, but he didn't know anything about this woman, let alone what her sleeping habits were.

He drew himself up to her bedroom on padded feet and peered cautiously inside, noticing that she was curled up in a tight little ball on her bed and was softly snoring. Little did he know it was the same action Inuyasha had taken when he found Kagome in a similar position on a school day, who had mumbled 'sit' even in her sleep, so when he crossed the short distance from the door to the bedroom Kagome could almost imagine that it was Inuyasha that was checking up on her.

Of course the fantasy image faded when she smelled Sesshoumaru. "What?" she grumbled, sinking deeper into her nest.

"You must rise." He ordered, hovering over her. She thought it was to intimidate her, but she was too tired to be frightened. A yawn split her pretty lips open fleetingly, which caught his eye unintentionally.

"I don't wanna go to school," she moaned, hand waving in a 'go-away' gesture, promptly ignoring the way he was about to snatch the covers from her face.

"You are privileged to have an education?" He arched a brow at this.

"Well, _yeah,_" she replied tersely.

"But you are not from a noble family, how could you possibly go to school?" This idea entirely perplexed him; he only knew of noble women and scholars that were privileged to have an education, not lowly mikos, or, in her case, annoying little reincarnated mikos who pranced about thieving taiyoukai powers. He bristled when Kagome merely batted her hand at him, as if he were nothing but a flea.

Kagome huffed impatiently. Men could be _so_ clueless. "In _my_ era, everyone is entitled to an education. Even the women."

Sesshoumaru ruminated this for a bit, but found it utterly impractical. "I do not believe you," he said. He felt like articulating his thoughts further upon the subject, but the miko would not allow him to insert his opinion.

"Oh no?" Kagome slung herself out of the bed—he practically ripped away his gaze when a portion of her chest became immodest as she wrestled out of the sheets—and went to her desk, pulling out textbook after textbook of math, astrology, human sciences, and geography. She gestured for him to take a look, emotions in a tizzy. "This is what I'm learning right now."

Sesshoumaru approached the texts with an eye of interest. He thumbed the pages of the geography book, staring intently on the map of Japan. It brought about a memory so old that he could imagine blowing the detritus from it, one of when his father's current scholar began to tutour the lordling of his father's vast, expansive land and the kingdoms that ruled beneath him. After another cursory glance he deemed that these maps were, indeed, not the ones he had been taught.

"This is incorrect," he stated, pointing to parts of the continent that had been pulled together to form cities, land marks that weren't supposed to be, villages created that did not exist.

"Not anymore. Five hundred years changes a lot of things, you know." The bitter smell of distaste graced her sensitive nose.

Sesshoumaru merely glowered at her. "What of five hundred years? It is but a small amount of time in a youkai's life."

"Maybe," she opined, "but right now we are five hundred years into the present. This is where I was born, and this is where we are now."

His incredulous face was apparent for a second before he disregarded her statement entirely.

"It's true!" In a flash, Kagome gestured to pictures, showed him the items in his room, her expression set into a grim line. "Have you ever seen any of this in your life? What about the cars on the streets? The gun I was shot with? The houses people live in?"

"I merely observed that these people were living separately from us. My kingdom has many of these great houses and interior embellishments. As for the 'gun,' I believe it was simply an extension of that youkai's power."

_Stupid youkai, and you're stupid, stupid know-it-all attitude!_ she seethed internally, aware that her anger was beginning to slowly manifest itself in the form of poisonous claws.

"But have you seen _any_ youkai since coming here?"

This was enough to have shock register on his face; he quickly banished it and looked away from her. "I am a mortal now, as you have pointed out numerously." He said flatly. "I am just not in tune to the youkai as I once was. I am positive that they are here."

"There isn't any." Kagome tried to convince. "I've lived here my whole life, and I've never seen one here. Even after I became a miko, or a youkai, I sensed nothing. That's because in my time there are _no_ youkai."

"I refuse the existence of youkai within Japan has been eviscerated within only five centuries." His burnished brown eyes tore away from hers as he folded his arms, disinclined to continue the matter further. A small, almost billowy puff of his scent secreted from him, and it left a bland taste in her mouth.

"Look," she began, smoothing a tuft of her hair meticulously as the words aligned themselves into her mouth. "I know it's a bit hard to swallow, but it _is_ true, Sesshoumaru."

"Youkai are clearly more adept, versatile, and stronger than any ningen. It is a frivolous endeavor to believe that youkai have been permanently removed from this earth." Brown eyes slanted her way calculatingly. Kagome felt her chest cave in on itself. He just couldn't grasp this, could he?

Her hands created gestures in front of her as the basis of a theory pushed out from her thoughts to her lips. "It's like when you have a large colony of something that the bigger something gets pushed away—no, that's not right." The words tumbled out of her mouth in a messy string barely coherent. "What I _mean_ is; when you have something small, and it's challenged by something large, the larger one normally wins. But when a bunch of small somethings band together, that one large something is outnumbered and backs off. Is this making any sense?"

The taiyoukai's lips were quirking spasmodically; it was a few seconds, but eventually Kagome was given the impression he was trying not to mock her fumbled analogy. Didn't she hold a point though, no matter how much it wrenched her bruised heart to know that she would never meet friends like the kitsune she had adopted, or the hanyou she had befriended and fallen for, or the taiyoukai she relied on... ?

She felt for him then, truly did. What was it like to know that one day your kind would soon be extinct, a legend, and a fact of fiction? She hoped she never had to find out. Supposing he lived for another five hundred years into the future, it would be a useful tidbit to remember when he entered a world so apart from his own. Kagome could only hope that by _then_ he would come to believe in her.

Sympathy for the taiyoukai swept over and through her in a chilled, brutal wave. When she stepped closer to him, and she noticed the slight tension in his body that she probably would have missed if she was still human. "I'm sorry," she lamented, "but it's true. I have no basis for lying, and you know it."

Sesshoumaru left from the room, pivoting smartly on his heel and his hair slightly airborne by his graceful retreat. The urge to chase after him blossomed behind her breast, but knew it wouldn't do well to push him. He wasn't his brother, who could be soothed with words and promises and optimism. This demon required cold hard facts, and even then it had to be tested by him to be worth his time. So she would allow him to come to terms on his own time. She certainly hoped it would be soon.

Kagome dressed and meticulously applied makeup to her face within her small bathroom, certain that the markings on her face would be hidden from her peers for another day. Her breathing slogged as the sharp sting of chemicals filtered through her nostrils as she raised the makeup sponge to her eyes, ridding them temporarily of the rosy colour that smoothed over her eyelids.

Well aware that Sesshoumaru was eying her intently while she prepared to go out into the world looking like a human, he scoffed when she began taking care of the markings on her wrist. "What?" she asked moodily.

"I find it derogatory that you think it embarrassing to bare the markings of a great lord," he clipped. Irritation radiated from him.

Kagome noted the way he relied on the wall to support him, but thought nothing of it in the end as she retorted, "Well, my friends don't think that demons exist, so I have to keep it that way." They'll keep thinking they're found in fairytales and horror-stories_,_ Kagome thought, finding that the notion made her slightly pensive. What if they did find out, somehow?

A horrifying vision filled her thoughts; images of her alienated appearance appearing on full display within the gymnasium projector screen, burning crosses, nuns hitting her over the head with bibles and splashing holy water in fervour, all resulted in Kagome becoming extremely nauseated. Her face would be printed on billboards nation wide, alerting the public that she was a demon hell-bent on stalking their children at night to rip out their throats and taking the women's men to bed. A shudder started at the base of Kagome's spine and ended at the nape of her unusually warm neck.

She decided she'd never let them get that chance.

"Then your friends are fools." Sesshoumaru bared his blunt teeth out of instinct. "You are a youkai now yourself. Will they not take notice? I do not think my presence would pass unknown by any." As an afterthought, the taiyoukai plunged on, "The very thought that you would conceal my nobility sickens me. You should be _honoured._" The emphasis on 'honoured' ended in an indignant hiss.

"If I hide the evidence they won't notice at all," she assured. "And no one's been trained to look for your kind anymore, so they have no reason to suspect anything. Why won't my hair dye black, though? It'd make everything so much easier... " she murmured to herself more than anyone, plaiting a piece of her silvery hair between her fingers thoughtfully. _My eyes are yellow and I have his powers, so why don't I _still_ get the pretty hair?_ Morosely, her eyes locked on to the feathery light hair that belonged to the sardonic taiyoukai. She felt a twinge of jealousy.

"My attributes are not to be concealed in any way; the matter that you have managed to remove the markings from your profile is, indeed, surprising. But most of my traits are harder to remove."

"It's just make-up," she said primly, triple-checking the foundation. "It'll come off when I wash it away,"

"Hn." Sesshoumaru felt no need to articulate his loss of the word 'make-up.'

She ignored his presence and toyed with her silver tresses, frowning; there were little ones that found it hysterical to defy her wishes by not remaining in her tight knot. _What to cover them with? _Remembering that her mother owned a shawl, she quickly skittered to her mother's room and rummaged through her dresser, coming upon the expensive material with relief. She stepped into the bathroom, staring into the place where her mirror used to be. It took a measure of control not to look at the person responsible for this dilemma.

"Drats,"

Kagome went back into her room and found the little hand mirror on her shelf, bringing it with her to the bathroom. Sitting upon the plastic toilet cover, she angled it just so on the sink, unscrewed her hair from the ponytail, and began knotting it into a tight bun, wrapping the shawl around her hair in such a way and tucking the stray strands of silver hair from view. She had to secure it in place with several bobby pins, but she was quite pleased with the results. She heard Sesshoumaru enter her room and snort softly. "What?" she growled.

"It is nothing," he said.

She turned in her seat, giving him a baleful look. "Obviously there's something."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head slightly. "I find it pointless to be hiding my identity from others." He reiterated, almost casually.

"_You're _the one who doesn't have elf ears, old-lady hair, and strange tattoos anymore, Sesshoumaru-_sama_." She retorted haughtily, adjusting the shawl one last time before deeming it appropriate. "You don't have as much to worry about as I do."

The scent of coals and fire reached her sensitive nose and left a scorching pain behind. It was wafting from Sesshoumaru in tiny trickles, but on the outside he looked to her bored and aloof. There was never a moment in which Kagome thought that his exterior persona ever collaborated with his inner self, and this was one of those moments. She scented the air once more, confirming her suspicions. _Is he angry?_

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" she watched as he eyed her almost blandly, but she couldn't deny the scent of his emotions that contrasted against his appearance. "Did I anger you?"

"Do not be foolish," he muttered without hesitation.

"But you smell like fire and smoke," she pursued.

"How would you know what that smell associates with?"

She shrugged. "I don't," she admitted freely. "But I have a strong hunch."

"You mean to say a guess?"

"Yes."

"Well, this Sesshoumaru was not angered."

He watched as her nose delicately twitched. "Now you smell sour. What does that mean?"

He refused to answer her, and when he said nothing at all and Kagome grew bored of interrogating him, he took it as a sign to evacuate, though found his feet cemented to the floor. Black wings fluttered across his vision fleetingly, almost rendering him teetering to the side. Gnashing his jaws together he managed to regain his composure, just before the priestess took notice of his thought to be hidden ennui.

With mild amusement Sesshoumaru watched as she fiddled with trying to come up with a solution to her enlarged incisor teeth. The little mirror propped steadily in Kagome's tiny hands, her tiny pink tongue lolled around the sharp edges cautiously, scraping the bottom teeth and the roof of her mouth as well. He found his eyes following the movements of her tongue as it darted in and out of her mouth, wetting her lips absently that caused a brief stir within his stomach.

"Will you file those down as well?"

Curious gold eyes met his once more when she attempted to scrutinize his mood from the little hand-mirror.

"My teeth?" She gave them another once over. Then it dawned on her that he was teasing. "Ha, funny." She commented humourlessly, resuming her tedious ministrations.

Sesshoumaru took in the way she angled her body towards his, her eyes fixated on him from the little mirror, and couldn't deny that she was curious about something. True, he did feel a touch irate when she complained about her problems outweighing his, but he thought he had squashed that emotion when it slipped. Apparently, she had just caught it too soon.

"Why do humans bother you?"

Her innocent question stoked some sort of burnt out fire within his gut; had he been a youkai still, there would be no doubt that some part of him would have responded negatively to his emotion. Sesshoumaru wished not for the first time to have his tapered fingers armed with razor sharp claws, just so he could impale himself in the leg to keep the emotion from his face.

There was a bout of reasons as to why her question irked him; on one hand, it was completely repulsive that such filthy, hazardous beings were even _allowed_ to remain on this planet when they had no business to do so. On the other hand, it also meant that her ancestors had annihilated a better portion of his kind, and this did not sit easily with the fastidious taiyoukai. On the _other_ other hand, a human gave birth to Inuyasha.

No, it did not appease him at all.

He settled for giving her the short answer. "Humans are filthy and too brief; it is merely staggering that your kind has managed to live up until now. Clearly, higher beings such as youkai should be populating this earth."

Kagome harrumphed. She'd heard enough. "I want to know something," she declared haughtily.

Sesshoumaru merely met her 'declaration' with an arched brow.

"If you youkai are _so_ superior to us," she felt the worlds roll of her tongue slickly; she was on a roll now, building momentum as the worlds aligned themselves clearly within her mind, "why is it sought by youkai to become human in appearance? If you are _so mighty_, why strive to blend in with us? Isn't imitation a form of flattery?"

Her hands settled on her thin hips as she checked piss-obnoxious-youkai-before-school off of her mental to-do list. She watched with fascination as his tongue flopped around his mouth as he struggled to make a retort. A shoe-in to win, Kagome leaned languorously against her bathroom sink, enjoying the state with which she rendered him.

How Kagome had known about youkai who strived to be powerful enough to appear human almost took away from his attention to formulate a suitable rebuke. It had been his infallible father that had taught the young Sesshoumaru to shift into a human by appearance, to squelch his massive power into a tinier, more anthropomorphic form, when he was but a century old, a toddler in human years, a month-old pup in appearance.

"_Da?" Tiny Sesshoumaru asked innocently in a low whine, gazing upon his 'Da' with unusual calculating eyes. His glossy fur was ruffled, and his paws filthy from the mud he had found out in his mother's garden, and he had been licking them clean with his rough tongue when his human father sought him out._

"_Come, Sesshoumaru," his father invited, and the little pup scampered after his father's retreating form giddily. Clawed paws clicked upon the wooden floor, his breath coming out into little tiny pants as he followed after his father who brought them to the door of his study._

_He felt his little heart gallop as his legs bunched for flight, swooping four feet into the air and landing almost nose-first into his father's leg._

_Clucking his tongue, the Inu no Taishou patted his fist on his thigh, and obediently Sesshoumaru sat upon his haunches, gazing up at his father with an expectant expression only a pup could manage. He opened the door, and Sesshoumaru scampered inside, taking in the scents of his father's study that was filled with old, crispy papers, the abandoned stove, and fur rug._

"_Sit." _

_Sesshoumaru sat._

_Inu no Taishou moved to sit in front of his young son, his hand rubbing Sesshoumaru's head softly. "You're a little young, but this will just be between you and me. all right?" his face donned a rare, genuine smile that he reserved only for his son._

_Sesshoumaru barked happily, his tail furiously wagging._

"_You're going to learn how to become human, Sesshoumaru." At the sound of the low keen, his father admonished his choice of words. "No, not an actual human; you shall learn how to be human in appearance, and walk on two legs." As if sharing a very well-kept secret, the Lord of the Western Lands brought his lips close to Sesshoumaru's fluffy ears. "Only the most powerful of youkai can achieve this."_

"_But why?" Sesshoumaru asked that came out as a keen to others who could not decipher inuyoukai language._

_His father smiled then, not full of reproach, or of disappointed; Sesshoumaru remembered it to be of happiness. "Because," he said, stroking Sesshoumaru's fur, "if we can accomplish to become the one thing people think that we are not, then _we_ are the winners, not they."_

It wasn't a secret that youkai were born in their true forms, and that the mother's reverted back to their true forms as well for labour, but since the question as to why they all sought to achieve this alien appearance had not crossed his mind. Sesshoumaru was not enjoying being confused, and was becoming tired of Kagome's haughty expression.

"Hn." He strode out of the room without much else to say. He would have to make sure to keep his emotions more guarded now that she was actually using her nose to discern him. The Lord of the West would not be penalized by a woman of lower status than he, even if she did attain his epic power.

xXx

Shout out for **madin456** for doing another amazing job being my beta!

Please review on your way out! I appreciate them!


	5. Nothing Special

**A/N:**All right, off to another start after a major break, which I apologize profusely for. I wasn't certain what to do exactly with this chapter, and I realize it _is_ short, but it does serve _some_ sort of purpose. Keep in mind this is pertinent information I found that you readers would be interested in knowing. If not, well... I didn't accomplish my exact goal.

Anyways, enough of my rantings. Onward!

xXx

Human Like Me

**Nothing Special**

Kagome was met by Hojo outside of her house, shortly after she had finally managed to get the shawl to stay just right. She heard someone approaching the door way before anyone had known there would be a visitor, but had tried to smell him from her bedroom with little success. _You don't even know what he smells like, and you're not used to your new sense. Of _course _you wouldn't know who it was._

She opened the front screen door for the youth, her heart dropping and her breath catching in her throat. "H-Hojo-san?" she said meekly, self-consciously twirling a piece of the soft fabric in her clawed finger, "What an… unexpected surprise?" _Which is a HUGE understatement. _She unconsciously tugged harder on the fabric.

Hojo smiled warmly, but she didn't miss when he took in the material on her head. "Oh, it's been a long time, Kagome-san. Your grandfather said you were in the hospital for gangrene. How're you feeling?" his eyes shot directly to the shawl, which she was doing everything she could to make it look workable. _Take a picture,_ she thought, slightly cynical.

"Oh, much better!" his eyes wavered, but his smile was still genuine. _Oh no! Does he suspect? How could he, though? Mayvbe if I keep acting casual... _"Actually, I was heading off …to…school…Hojo-san?"

The teen was focused on a point on her face. Her hands flew up to cover her cheeks. _I must have forgotten to apply the makeup!_ She thought, panicked.

"Your eyes…did you get contact lenses?" the boy ventured unsteadily.

With a huff, Kagome dropped her hands from her cheeks and down casted her eyes. _Shoot…need the sunglasses!_ "Oh, um… that's because I have cataracts." She laughed nervously, aware that she was fidgeting like she had sucked back four cups of black coffee. "Erm… excuse me."

She fled up the stairs to snatch the sunglasses that were supposed to be on her dresser. After rummaging around at a speed that made her head slightly dizzy, she was empty handed. _Oh no! Where are they?_

She detected a presence within the room but was too occupied to notice the scent. "Are you foraging for these?" a masculine, tapered hand held out her pair of sunglasses. His lips quirked up at the side for a passable smirk, though it lacked any true mirth.

Kagome rushed to Sesshoumaru and reached out for the glasses. Quick as a wink they were behind his back. "Sesshoumaru!" she whined. Like a child she stamped her foot, which only served to frustrate her further.

"Now why would you require these? They dampen your vision," he_ almost _scolded, the tone cresting at the tip of his tongue.

"But I _need_ them! No one has yellow eyes anymore."

He hummed and pocketed the sunglasses with careful, meticulous movements, and, as if to rub it in her face, he patted the slight bulge in his pocket invitingly. His cocked brow and slight smirk said 'come and get them.'

Her head spinning, she mustered the courage and lunged for the pocket, but he had moved an inch from her grasp. She tried again, only to be bested once more. This incident ensued several more times before Kagome gave up, floundered.

"That's not fair!" she complained, trying for another chance.

"Is it?" he question, easily sidestepping her anticipated launch. Once again she fell short, and she did not disappoint by whirling on him in her discombobulated state.

"Yes!" she stressed. "Because you're—"

"What?"

She stopped short.

_She_ was the youkai now. _He_ was the human. The reversal had thrown them both for a loop, but ultimately, she now was left with the upper hand in everything. He hadn't been given her miko powers (and secretly she was okay with that. He might have decided to fry her the moment he realized she had stolen his powers). So why wasn't she able to achieve as simple a task as getting her sunglasses from him? The answer was settling into his chocolate eyes, but she couldn't hold his gaze for any longer than five seconds without experiencing a dull, churning ache behind her breast.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Kagome might have been given his divine powers, but in reality, where the power was essentially centuries old, she was not even into her second decade of life. Untrained, unreliable, and volatile, she hadn't a clue what to do with her abilities, and he had known all along. She felt like kicking herself for her stupidity.

Sesshoumaru had allowed her to have the expression of conclusion before opining his own advice. "You are not a taiyoukai by birth; therefore, you are merely a pup in reality. You should be an adolescent who is still clinging to your mother and sleeping with your pack mates, and being taught your manners. You are nothing compared to me, even in this state." He said the last words with a sneer that stung her.

She knew that compared to his former resplendent nature she was utterly beneath him , and he knew it. Kagome couldn't do anything about it, though. Sighing, she trudged past him, intent on just submitting to the rapid successions of questions about her queer appearance—it wouldn't be the first time she had been subjected to lie about her 'illness.'

The section of her shoulder that contained her markings brushed his, just slightly; a shudder rippled through her, cold as ice, and sent a pang of aching pain through her extremities. Sesshoumaru edged away from her at the contact, but she assumed it was because of his personal space.

Intent on finding out what that was, she rolled up her shirt sleeve and inspected the solid magenta stripes that ran from her left clavicle almost to her collarbone, and almost all the way down her elbow. When she touched the area it was cool and hummed with some sort of electric current, enough to make her grimace and roll the sleeve back down.

Sesshoumaru tried not to look so pointedly at her exposed, slender shoulder, or the way her long columned throat was now exposed appreciatively, barely restricting any imagination from the peak of cleavage. No, he would not ogle at all. His eyes shifted to a stray piece of detritus on his shirtsleeve, eying it whimsically. It was such a _fascinating_ piece of detritus...

"What _was_ that?" she questioned aloud. Her eyes searched Sesshoumaru's for an answer. He startled her by actually explaining, and startled himself at how rapidly he had recuperated.

"The markings emit a steady stream of youki. Whenever in contact they send a tiny signal to the youkai."

"It's a defense mechanism?" she postulated.

"Hn. I suppose that's the correct assumption."

Kagome studied her now covered arm. Sesshoumaru found himself _missing_ the lovely view she had unknowingly given him. _Damn human male hormones..._ his mind spited. _Why is it that human reproductive organs are so bizarre?_

"But why would you need it?" Kagome asked, finding it difficult to keep him concentrating on her. _It's like talking to a brick wall._ Kagome shook her head wanly.

_No,_ she amended.

She'd get more progress with the wall.

"Kagome? Are you all right?" Hojo called from downstairs, clearly inside of the building.

Panicked, Kagome leaned over the railing, spotting the youth preparing to mount the steps. "No! I'll be right down! Just... just wait outside a little longer, okay?"

His eyes flickered uncertainly, but he resigned easily enough. "All right, but we'll be a bit late." He added.

Kagome returned to the room, gesturing for Sesshoumaru to continue, lest the taiyoukai lose his conversational skills so quickly.

Sesshoumaru loathed to continue talking, but did so anyway. "My clan is known to have those markings. They are merely inherited."

"So do you get the moon from your mother?" She tapped the center of her forehead where the blue crescent moon would be prominent if not for the makeup. Strangely, she could feel the coolness seeping from the moon sink into her fingertip.

"Yes."

"And they both have white hair, right? And gold eyes?"

He nodded.

"It sounds like they are closely related," she commented casually.

"Indeed. They were second cousins; fellow related clansmen. Father chose her amongst the thousands of demonesses as the strongest of her blood and produced an heir—myself." As if to affirm this statement he proudly stuck his nose in the air and chuckled dryly.

From his periphery he watched as she nibbled on her lower lip with her sharp incisors as she thought. There was a distant look to her golden eyes that irked him. How could she be so faded from the world enough to tune it all out? At least he had a hold on reality, though it was tenuous.

"So…erm," she began cryptically, "do you know _why_ your father chose Inuyasha's mother?" He could literally feel the awkwardness of her state in the air towards the question. She thought the topic would anger him. He felt no such rage at the inquiry, though a sliver of repentance stuck to his tongue like a lead-weight.

"He did not love my mother, and had always been fond of the fragility of human creatures. He sought her out at first on a whim, possibly to attain a sense of vulnerability of her character. He fell for her shortly afterwards, obviously." He almost spat the last part, but she didn't think he'd been aware of it.

Kagome had always known through Inuyasha, Totousai, and Myouga that his father, the Inu no Taishou, favoured humans. That part hadn't been a mystery. It was what happened to Sesshoumaru and his mother that held her curiosity; it was that gut-wrenching, numbing sensation that came with not knowing.

"Were you upset?" she asked in a small voice. "Was your mother angry over his choice?" she amended softly, breath catching as the expression subtly shifted on his face.

She noticed the small muscle in his eye jump, but didn't comment on it. His eyes remained steadily to the front, giving nothing away.

"Mother wasn't angry. She wasn't sad, either." He amended after a pause. "I suppose she must have anticipated something like this happening. He did not mate with Izayoi, but did not break the bond from Mother, either."

Kagome inhaled sharply. "That's…bad, right?" she implored carefully. She was not fond of the glint in his brown eyes that now she noticed to be salted with gold, nor the scent that wafted from him. It smelled like burnt plastic. It was an effort not to raise her shirt sleeve to her nose to filter the air.

Sesshoumaru regained composure, not quickly enough so mask his distaste for the topic from Kagome's sharp nose. It was easier to slip into a routine of allowing his emotions to be displayed freely when he was human, but it was annoying and a trifle difficult to manage and maintain. Out of all the things that rendered him nonplussed over the human species, it was the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) idiosyncrasies of facial expressions and gestures that revealed everything on a person's mind without conscious thought. Never had he thought it would prove to be this taxing to maintain an appearance around the Higurashi home. Now he understood how exposed Inyuasha must have felt.

Unlike Kagome, who always was and always would be wearing her heart on her sleeve, he preferred to remain reclusive and introverted. It was not an easy feat to become so impassive when battling human instincts. Youkai instinct was much more primal and straightforward; humans tended to be greedy and selfish, mixed with a myriad of emotions day in and day out.

"It's the matter of opinion and your perspective on what would make that decision bad." He finally deigned to answer, his eyes never meeting hers throughout his explanation. "Mother did not have a reason to be angry; he didn't break the bond, and thus, she kept his lands and the treaties and her title they had agreed over when they had been mated. Father got his wish for human interaction and stayed out of Mother's way."

"So you don't think that marriage should solely be based on love?"

"I believe that marriage is strictly a formality used to gain a portion of the others possessions. Love is nonexistent, and is a ploy to enable the human race to reproduce successfully."

"So... no?" she surmised lightly.

"No," affirmed the taiyoukai.

"Not even when Inuyasha had been born out of that love?" She heard his breath hitch lightly, effectively stunned.

"Kagome?" Hojo announced once more.

"Coming!" she shouted back, never taking her eyes off of Sesshoumaru.

In that moment it did not matter to Kagome that she was walking a tumultuous road with a youkai lord, nor did she register that her titillating thoughts were creating sizeable dent into said youkai's thought process. She sufficed that Sesshoumaru was successfully nonplussed by her inquiry, which enabled her to get away with displaying a sly smile.

In a flash of blurring images, Kagome snatched the sunglasses from his pocket when he moved to scratch his unnaturally blunt ear in puzzlement. His eyes widened fractionally—just enough that she could tell he was surprised by either her speed or her outright rebellious actions.

Smirking, she donned the sunglasses and strutted out of the room to face Hojo once more, leaving the taiyoukai stunned to silence.

xXx

"What took you?" Hojo pestered her as soon as she stepped foot out of her doorway. She squared her sunglasses, letting them rest on the tip of her nose.

"Oh, I was just being bantered around by a bitch," she supplied with a smug smile.

"You have a dog?" he ventured, checking behind her shoulder. Kagome stifled a giggle.

"Something like that."

xXx

Many thanks to **madin456** for doing the beta-ing. You rock my socks. Many thanks for the alerts! They enlighten and inspire me :) and I am, again, awfully sorry for the major delay. After this it should come more on schedule.


	6. Lullaby

A/N: Another drabble. Right on my Monday deadline, though it is a bit late in the evening for me to post... . I blame work in the early morning. Shout out and a clap on the back for **madin456** for her beta-ing prowess.

**An important note!**Recently my USB, which contained all of my chapters of 'HLM' up to 18, which means I am slaving to play catch-up and re-write them all. It's a major pain in the butt, so when it eventually comes to the point where I haven't quite caught back up to posting the chapters on a weekly basis, please note that it is due to the corruption of my flash drive.

Anyways, on that note!

Onward!

xXx

Human Like Me

**Lullaby**

Three days had passed since she had gone to school with Hojo and had successfully stumped the Lord of the West. Her friends had discovered her silvery hair during a particularly windy day out on the volleyball court, and she had summed it up to premature gray hair that ran in her deceased father's family, and the reason was accepted easily enough. It was most likely due to her younger days, when her grandfather concocted random bouts of illnesses and diseases. They had just come to accept that weird, unusual, unexplainable things happened to her. She made sure to keep her markings concealed at all times, and would skip out on showers in the locker rooms in replacement for a private sink, where she would quickly reapply the makeup and continue on to classes.

Sesshoumaru, she noted, was growing restless with inactivity over the long days and would more often than not be perched somewhere outside. He lounged about on the shrine grounds and watched the days go by. Sometimes he broke the rhythm and trained for endless hours. She felt sorry for him, and wished there might be something more to do to help him out. As it was, the taiyoukai thought it frivolous to interact in games and perform things that were childish in his eyes. House chores were utterly lost on him. Though he would not refuse training her to help hone her new skills in favour of not being eaten alive by a giant dog, there was a faraway look in his eyes he sometimes couldn't help to hide that worried her.

On Friday, the third night they had been stuck in her time , Kagome was again restless in bed. It had started off with being mildly uncomfortable on her mattress the first night they had arrived home, but by the third evening there was physical pain within her chest that wouldn't be gone until she sought out her mother or Sesshoumaru. Her powers sizzled when she was alone for long periods of time, so often throughout the night she would wake to the pulsing of her youki threatening to control her. Sleep wasn't much of an issue to her, but she longed for it anyways, if nothing but to be consistent in her routines.

Sifting through the blankets and trying to lie on her back, she blew the bangs from her eyes and sulked. I can't sleep… it's so painful.

From downstairs she picked up the sound of Sesshoumaru aimlessly pacing about the house, supposedly on 'guard.' She knew he napped throughout the day, often in the afternoon on the hotter peaks, but it concerned her that he thought it appropriate to stay awake all night to protect her family. She should be the one to patrol the grounds, but he always told her the same excuse. "You are but a pup; you require sleep, even if you do not think you need it. You will be unprepared to guard your home."

She had retorted that he was human, and that he needed sleep a thousand times more than she did. He excused her wild approximation. "I am fine. Sleep."

So Kagome had, like a scolded child—or a kicked puppy—retreated to her room and restlessly dozed on and off for the major duration of the evening. Now it was three o'clock and the Sand Man was not paying her a visit. Sesshoumaru was making head-way on the gully he was currently creating in their living room.

Emitting a yawn that seemed to sap all of her strength with its ferocity, she stretched her taut muscles and slid off the bed, her feet meeting the cold hardwood floor. Darkness enveloped her room in multiple shades of blacks and grays, but all of that wasn't apparent to Kagome at the time; navigating through the small space was as simple as it had been earlier in the day. The room had a sort of yellowish tint to the light she could now see courtesy of her youkai vision, so she stealthily made it to her door and down the length of the steps with ease and padded, soft footfalls.

She spotted Sesshoumaru dozing on a kitchen chair directly in front of the living room. His breathing was even and spaced, and his head was slightly inclined to the side, his eyes closed. He must have finally succumbed to fatigue. Not wanting to startle him, Kagome tried to make her presence more aware by not taking precaution to soften her footfalls.

Strangely, her eyes focused upon the slumbering taiyoukai with a needy sensation, and she was almost unable to let her eyes stray anywhere else but him. What was with her errant thoughts all of a sudden? What was it about witnessing him appearing less guarded, more of a person, that churned her stomach and set aflame her burning desire?

As the distance closed between them and she held her breath in her lungs for what seemed like a long time, Sesshoumaru roused and yawned, not quite taking her in right away. His eyes glowed, stopping her, momentarily drawing her in at the sight of his moment vulnerability. She shook off this sudden intense feeling, trading it away.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kagome whispered.

His eyes, arresting and darkened by the night, snapped to. He fumbled out of the chair and right to his feet, his breathing unusually laboured. The moonlight brought out hues of indigo from his air that was accentuated the alabaster paleness of his face, catching her breath in her throat. Sesshoumaru didn't say anything but there was an untrustworthy look in his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry to bother you," she apologized meekly, kneading a piece of her shirt between her claws. "I'm just not sure what's wrong with me."

He shook his head, as if to banish the drowsiness that wrought against him, and fixed her a scathing look. "What is the matter?"

"I can't sleep," she admitted, a light hue dusting her pale cheeks. He didn't notice, but he was aware of the way she fidgeted and swayed from side to side. She was uncomfortable. But why?

"Explain."

"Well… I noticed that it was difficult to sleep the first night I became a youkai, but now…"

He quirked a brow, "But now…?"

"Now I can't even doze. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Kagome studied him in the darkness, taking in not for the first time the transition that had occurred between him. His human appearance diminished most of his regal features, but his cheekbones and facial built were entirely aristocratic, if even feminine. Without the markings that shaped and defined him it seemed as if the Lord of the West was merely nothing, but Kagome knew better. The lines of his strong, protruding collarbones detected signs of a physically fit body, which drew about a sinister pull below her navel at the mere thought.

"I think I may know what is happening," Sesshoumaru declared. Kagome, snapped out of her strange reverie, perked up a bit.

"What? Do taiyoukai become insomniacs eventually?"

He ignored the unusual term and continued. "As I had justified before, in years you are but a pup. Pups from clans normally sleep together, and the elders who do not require sleep, watch over them. The age I am at—or, technically was at—is old enough for my body to not demand food or sleep. Though you are falling into this category, as it seems."

"But I'm seventeen!" she protested hotly.

"And that is but an adolescent. You would be sleeping with your pack mates up until your seventieth year, and some last longer."

"So…I'm just lonely?"

Sesshoumaru offered an insightful shrug. Oh, he was so forthright with her...

Nibbling on one of her claws, she heaved a great sigh. "Maybe if I get Buyou to sleep with me…" She pouted. As it was, he was avoiding her a lot lately. Recognizing his mistress but smelling the inuyoukai on her, he tried to stay away as much as possible. He was still affectionate, but less so, if not so put off by her intimidating youki that constantly stirred within the air. Unfortunately it had appeared he took an immediate liking to Sesshoumaru, she had noted earlier.

Satisfied that she had been given some sort of insight to her problem, Kagome began heading back toward her room. A hand gripped her forearm. She turned, staring into Sesshoumaru's dark eyes. She hadn't even heard him approach, though she was off in her thoughts.

"W-what're you doing?" she asked, tugging lightly but his hand did not budge.

Sesshoumaru fought to give into the urge to roll his eyes. "Accompanying you,"

Kagome drew into herself, wrenching her arm back forcefully, though his fingers fell away without fight. Her cheeks coloured generously. "Y-you mean…" she looked pointedly to her room up the stairs with abstract horror.

Sesshoumaru managed a curt nod that prominently displayed his displeasure over the idea.

"B-but you can't!" she squeaked, but a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Be quiet, woman," he lectured. "This is part of you now. You can either suffer from sleep deprivation, or follow your instincts." As an afterthought, she received a pointed look. "Which do you think youkai rely on?"

She dreaded this, and yet she had still fallen for it guilelessly. "Well, are you sure? You don't have to, and I know you don't want to." Grumbling, she added, "And I don't either,"

Ignoring her complaints easily, he led the way to her room.

"And my name's Kagome," she inserted, unable to emphasize it convincingly.

She felt just odd about the whole prospect of rooming with Sesshoumaru. Was this really necessary? The pull of her lids was clear enough, and there was a distinctive lethargy to her movements and a hesitance in her actions that told her she was bushed. Maybe we don't have to share the same bed… Just knowing that previous thoughts had been stirring in her mind about the taiyoukai already sent her on edge about sharing the same sleeping quarters. What would Inuyasha do if he found out? Probably smite Sesshoumaru. The image did little to quell her wayward emotions. Surely this arrangment wouldn't be all bad if he just stuck to his side? No, I will not sleep with him!

He entered first, quickly taking in the small space and the even smaller bed in the corner. He moved so she could get in and didn't miss her flushed face as he sat upon the mattress and tested its weight. "Acceptable," he murmured, shifting over on top of the sheets so that he had his back to the wall, creating just enough space for her to squirm in.

She promptly lowered herself onto her floor, cushioning her head on her folded arm. The smell of dust entered her nostrils, and the cold bit into her skin enough to cause some displeasure. A rustling of blankets, some shifting, and Sesshoumaru was hovering over the lip of the mattress. In the darkness his burnished eyes regarded her almost curiously, though it was ruined when his lips formed a scowl.

"Come," he retreated and patted the edge of the mattress invitingly.

Pouting while rising from the ground, she tucked herself under the blankets awkwardly while he simply slept on top of them. Her senses prickled at the proximity of him, and her nose was flooded with his scent. He smelled of apple cider, with a touch of caramel.

Adjusting, she made a point to not touch him, hugging the edge of the bed gladly. Balm to her distress she began to relax into a pile of mush, already accepting the pull of unconsciousness as drowsiness took her under. Sesshoumaru remained frigid, his senses on overdrive as he tried to compensate for his dull human vulnerabilities. He watched as the miko curled up around the edge of the mattress and as her shoulders drooped, her breaths becoming even and lengthened by the second.

"Kagome," he said, voice jarring her from her lull.

"Mrggh," she replied noncommittally. She was too tired to realize he'd addressed her by her name.

"What is a 'movie'?"

A snicker wedged its way from her lips, her sleep addled mind adding to her rising humour at his completely random question.

"I'll show you sometime." She promised, and he heard her breaths evening out once more.

Soon she was sound asleep.

Sesshoumaru battled against his own fatigue, aware that though he napped throughout the day he had not slept more than three consecutive hours. He was aware that humans were more succumbing to sleep than youkai even as infants, but he had no idea that it would have been this frequent. Adjusting so that he was more against the wall, he used it as leverage so that he could fall back and take in his full surroundings.

Kagome shifted and twitched beside him in her sleep, muttering nothings under her breath as she dreamed. Her hand found its way onto her lap, and then her head cocked to the side at a precarious angle. Unaware of what was to come she rolled flat on her belly flush against him, her face buried into the pillow but not stirring as her air intake shortened considerably.

He stilled, not wanting to touch her, but found he was in a predicament when in another hour she was snuggled against him on her side, her head cushioned by the edge of her pillow and his only arm. Frozen, the demon lord could not hold his breath as he waited for her to find a better position that was far away from him. As it was, Kagome liked it just fine, and remained there for a full twenty minutes before she began murmuring under her breath again.

"Smells like…le cider…car-mel… good. Sess-ma… tickling my nose…"

He couldn't quite make sense of her words but soon her fingers fought their way into his hair. She did not pull and she did not play, but unconsciously it was brought to her nose, where she inhaled and sighed satisfactorily.

"Smell good," she sighed, abandoning his lock of hair.

The sounds of her deep breathing relaxed him far more than he was willing them to. Maybe youkai were not the only beings subjected to group sleeping to help them cope.

He tried his best to remain awake and aware, but soon things were becoming distorted and fuzzy as his eyelids drooped and his muscles relaxed. Unbidden, synapses of Kagome's destructive power from the other day flooded his fuzzy mind, conjuring images that would have caused the average person to soil themselves in fear.

He mulled over the possibility that the situation could have gotten much worse than a few shattered pottery items and an upturned garden. It had been a lucky break to find that Tenseiga had been infused with special properties to help tame the volatile nature of the Inu no Taishou's sons. A soft chuckle rose to Sesshoumaru's lips, but it was bereft of actual humour. What had his father tried to convey to him, when he had left scant moments after sealing Ryuukotsutei?

"Have you someone to protect?"

No, Sesshoumaru refused, even when he was barely conscious. But why did you make two swords that share the same purpose?

He fell asleep five minutes later even with all of the effort he was making to unweave his father's complicated message.

xXx

Well, what'd ya think? Please review if you wish to shed some insight on your thoughts of this story so far. I would love to hear feedback. No flaming; just really justified constructive criticism!


	7. Little Things Give You Away

**A/N: **I know it's early... but I can't resist ^^

xXx

Human Like Me  
><strong>Little Things Give You Away<strong>

Kagome woke up, luxuriously warm and comfortable. Something soft was resting beside her hand. She reached out and slowly stroked the fur. _What a great way to wake up_. As her fingers splayed out and wrapped around more fur, she felt herself slide slightly, and soon she was plummeting off of the bed, sitting on the cold ground.

A face peered over the lip of the mattress. Sesshoumaru!

"I am not a cuddle-thing," he stated dryly.

The feel of hands wrapped around her, warmth encircling, danced across her mind. A giggle escaped her lips unwillingly.

_You are _definitely_ a snuggler._

xXx

100 word drabble


	8. Scream

A/N: All right, first of all, to clarify in the last chapter 'Little Things Give You Away,' I am aware that I described Sesshoumaru's hair as 'fur.' Mistake on my part, simply because she was supposedly thinking it was her cat sleeping next to her. Sorry for the confusion. And yes, it is updated not on a Monday, so as a result it will come a little later in the week. Sorry about that, though it will happen with the shorter chapters.

Anyways, in this chapter, Kagome keeps true to her promise. Enjoy!

xXx

Human Like Me  
><strong>Scream<strong>

Sesshoumaru wasn't sure what he was watching. Guts were eviscerated, heads cleaved off, mouths stretched to impossible limits. At one point he was certain a human hand rolled past the screen.

"Humans have... imaginative minds," he stated lightly, stilling when a shrill shriek caused the people surrounding them to jump.

Kagome shoveled popcorn in her mouth, eyes never leaving the screen as the protagonist neared the cellar door, crowbar in hand.

"She shouldn't go near there." Sesshoumaru said blandly. The woman went near it. "I told her not to go near there." He repeated, irritated. "Don't open the door, stupid!"

xXx

100 word drabble

Clap on the back for **madin456**!


	9. One Step Closer

A/N: I know it took a while, but it's because of the good news! I found some chapters that I thought I had lost, so when I re-wrote chapter 9, it was another chapter originally. So I found a way to insert some of both back into this re-do. I hoped it would flow seamlessly together, and I think it sort of did. And for those of you in school, good luck on exams! And good luck to those who are graduating! I'm going to tell you now, you're going to miss high school, even if you say you won't haha. I know I did.

xXx

Human Like Me  
><strong>One Step Closer (To the Edge)<strong>

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror, paying particular attention to her golden eyes which stared back at her. Humming to herself, her clawed fingernails, which refused to remain blunt for more than half a day, snipped at the bangs which hung just over her eyes. She made quick work of them, impressed that she was able to achieve cutting her hair without the aid of scissors.

Her lips pursed upon seeing her unusual amber eyes once more. It was a good thing that her mother had helped her out, or else she'd need a fake doctor's note to keep wearing sunglasses in class.

Having cataracts at eighteen was not sexy.

xXx

Once rousing from his stupor on the couch, Sesshoumaru, who made headway up the steps in search of morning relief, found Kagome already sequestered in her bathroom with the newly replaced mirror. She adopted a peculiar stance in which she was bent backwards, legs wide apart, and the tip of one index finger pointed straight toward her face. He observed that each time her finger got closer to her face, she inadvertedly stretched back further. Her head almost touched the wall behind her.

"Almost..." she mumbled, coming closer and closer to inserting the contact lens into her right eye.

"What are you doing?" he blandly inquired, startling the miko into dropping her contact lens on the ground.

"Oh _no_!" Fervently, her hands swiped the ground, searching for the miniscule brown lens while muttering expletives under her breath that even had Sesshoumaru blanching. "Don't scare me like that! Next time _knock_ or something..." she growled under her breath.

"I did not realize you were occupied," he replied, somewhat warily, while she continued her search. "Pray tell are you doing?"

"Looking for my contact lens!" when she bobbed her head up to look at him, resembling a mere-cat, his sharp intake of breath startled even him. Her left eye appeared dull and muddy brown, while the other shined with burnished amber. He had to blink to organize his dissrayed thoughts.

"Is this some sort of magic?" he indicated to his own left eye.

"Magic?" she said, beguiled, studying her own features in the bathroom mirror. "No, no magic here."

"So no magic?" he clarified.

"None. Unless you count science as magic, but then that's contradictory." She resumed her search once more.

_Then where have the markings gone?_

As if she heard his unspoken question, she wordlessly picked up a facecloth and removed a partial amount of the makeup that covered her strips on her wrist. "It's makeup," she explained. "I thought I told you about this already."

"No magic?" he repeated, clearly not convinced.

"No, it's not. It's modern day, uh… camouflage."

Sesshoumaru watched with a mask of indifference. He was, however, slightly amused at how utterly ridiculous the miko was making herself look. So it was completely justifiable when the corners of his lips quirked into a small smirk when Kagome successfully located her missing item. With deft fingers she slipped the contact onto her eye, blinking in rapid succession to adjust it onto her eye.

She looked at him then, with her now magic brown eyes. It kind of freaked him out, but just a little.

Kagome canted her head to the side in curiosity, noting how gaunt he appeared before her suddenly. They'd been trapped in her own time for, what, about five days? Had she even seen him pick up a fork? No, she didn't think so, and now his sallow, clammy face wouldn't leave her head.

"When's the last time you ate?" she interrogated while rising smoothly to the balls of her feet. His minute delayed response was enough to convince her. "Sesshoumaru," she scolded, not once quavering under the heated stare he returned. "You can't just skip out on eating! You're human now, and it's fundamental if you plan on living long enough to return to the feudal era."

"Enough of this insubordination." He growled, the sound lacking its normal girth and strength. It sounded weak and frail coming from his mortal shell. "I am perfectly capable of managing my own body, miko. You'd do well to remember that this Sesshoumaru is not to be ordered around."

"I wouldn't need to do that if you'd just listen to me!" rebuked the indignant miko, her youki festering and pooling beneath her feet in stirring eddies. He kept in mind her tenuous control over her own emotions and backed off a little.

"I feel no hunger any longer," he said simply. Thinking that it would quell the miko's concern, he was utterly shocked to see that it held the exact opposite reaction. Her eyes flared with a potent energy that he could feel across the small space, uplifting the hairs on the back of his neck and arms.

Kagome snapped her jaws. "How long have you not been feeling hungry?" curbing her anger, the visible energy receded and slithered away, though lying dormant within, ready to spring out when called upon.

He put up a front, pretending to be really considering the length of time that had elapsed since the gnawing, clawing feeling that had gripped his stomach had ceased to bother him. That had been roughly two moons ago. As he relayed this information to the miko, he watched the spectacle that was her unfurl into someone worthy of being feared.

"You idiot!" she brayed, pointing an accusatory finger at his chest. Tears threatened to spill over her lids. Sit!" and in the next beat all of her anger and confidence plummeted, leaving scants amounts of her dignity scattered about the floor. Flushing, she returned her finger to her side, hoping that he wouldn't ask what her little explosive subjugation word was meant for.

Sesshoumaru was too tired to put up with her silly nuances; fatigue pulled relentlessly on his limbs as he battled to keep his eyes open during their dispute. It seemed that she had visibly relaxed after a moment of not so awkward silence.

"I just want you to get something to eat, okay? Not feeling hungry is a lot worse than actually being hungry."

And in a nanosecond Sesshoumaru allowed his snarky head to rear up to bite her. "I shall do what I please, and on my own terms. I will not be bossed around by some insidious miko." Striding purposefully from the bathroom, he noted with some reverence that his vision was becoming clouded with black wings of raven birds, and that his head felt queerly light.

As she ran the first stroke of the brush through her tangled hair, she heard him take a sharp breath of air, expel it slowly, and then she heard his body tumble down the steps. Each _thump!_ resonated deep within her gut, causing her to wince, and then she found herself sprinting down the steps to find Sesshoumaru haphazardously sprawled on the floor. She noted that a small patch of wet, sticky blood pooled beside his head, and that there was a fine trail leading from the top of the steps down.

Souta had reached him first, trying not to vomit at the sight of the fresh red liquid oozing out of a laceration in the middle of Sesshoumaru's forehead. Kagome padded down the steps, approaching the unconscious, vulnerable taiyoukai that was before her.

"Can you hear me?" she asked tentatively, shaking his shoulder. He didn't respond, which fueled her panic even more. "Souta, call 911." She instructed while dragging Sesshoumaru's comatose body with ease into the less crowded living room. Using the sleeve to mop up the wound which profusely secreted blood, it helped to staunch the flow while the EMTs arrived. It was a relief Kagome had already put in her contact lenses.

The only way Kagome could rationalize this abrupt collapse of such a strong man, was that he hadn't been drinking water, either. _Oh, what has he gotten himself into?_

Within five minutes, the emergency responders arrived, two of them flanking each of Sesshoumaru's sides as they executed their primary assessments, all the while quizzing Kagome about what had happened. It wasn't a secret that they were stealing dubious looks towards her appearance, because she had caught a glimpse of herself, with shock white hair and hierarchy markings. The truth was, her own image caused her to shudder every now and then.

As soon as they had bagged him for oxygen, placed a C-collar on his neck, and they had placed him proficiently onto the stretcher, one of the female first responders cornered the anxious miko. Kagome could smell the hesitancy in her scent.

"We noticed during our assessments that Sesshoumaru-san has a missing arm from the forearm down. If he were to regain consciousness, would you have him consider amputation?"

"No." Kagome whispered firmly, eyes never wavering from the other woman's. By all rights she had the decency to look flustered and embarrassed.

"Okay, sorry about that. We won't ask him again," she hurried to her crew to assist in hefting the taiyoukai into the ambulance.

The sound of the blood pounding in her ears, the silent scream which resonated deep within the cavity of her mind, seemed to enhance ten-fold as the ambulance warbled away down the street. Kagome didn't have long, but for some reason her limbs felt like Jell-O, sluggish and sore. She made her way into the living room, facing her mother, who had rushed home from grocery shopping after Souta had phoned her the news. Their eyes met with silent understanding, and Mrs. Higurashi handed her the car keys.

"Make sure he's okay. We'll be up sometime later on," Mrs. Higurashi offered one of those smiles only moms could give that were able to wipe away all of the problems in your life. Kagome hugged her mom quickly, and rushed to the car with youki enhanced speed.

Upon seeing the traffic from way up, she pursed her lips, giving a furtive glance toward the Sedan they owned. She hastily returned the keys inside of the house, but a white blur to her family members. Her feet ached with a familiar longing, so she scrambled outside and away from anyone's prying eyes, and allowed for her youki to build and swirl. It slowly lifted her up, and as soon as she was high above her house, shot forward in the sky. Clouds and icy winds buffeted her face. To most on the ground, she appeared as a small blimp.

xXx

The trip from her home to the hospital was an utter blur. She sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring at the unconscious taiyoukai who looked utterly helpless dressed in his hospital Johnny. IV fluid was stuck in his arm, spiked with some Tylenol. She had been sitting there for over four hours, and he had yet to wake. The doctor had been in some hour ago, asking her questions that Kagome honestly couldn't answer.

"_How old is he precisely?"_

"_Um. I'm not sure. Twenty-one?"_

"_Date of birth?"_

Circa 1500s,_ "I don't know."_

"_Past medical history? Is he on medications? Have any allergies? When was the last time he had eaten? What was he doing prior to this event?"_

"_He's not on meds, has no allergies, and as far as I know he doesn't have past medical history. I don't know when the last time he's eaten exactly, a few days ago, and he was just at home."_

"_Does he have a spouse we can contact?"_

"_No, I'm his only family."_

"_Okay, Ms. Higurashi. We'll keep him monitored closely. He's dehydrated and malnourished. Depending on his recovery rates and how he responds to our treatment, he will most likely be in here a few days."_

And now she was just waiting for him to wake up. If he would just open his eyes, and tell her that he was all right, maybe then the possibility of relaxing would seem appealing. Steepling her fingers, she breathed a long sigh and tried to occupy herself by counting the tiles on the ceiling.

She got to two hundred and forty-seven before her mother's warm face entered through the hospital room, Souta at her side. Enveloping her mother in a giant hug, the tears began to fall freely. _Why am I crying for him?_ she thought, though pushed it away as her mother began to cajole her.

They sat out in the waiting room. Kagome continued to ignore the stares sent her way, because she hadn't had a chance to even think about covering up her markings or covering her white hair. The doctor had been polite enough not to stare at least.

Sometime after Souta had dropped off, her mother collected him in her arms and said goodnight. Kagome returned to Sesshoumaru's bed, noting that he still hadn't woken up. At least his colour looked better. The lights in the room went off one by one, blanketing her in darkness, leaving only the open window to allow the moon's light to shine in. Taking perch on the couches they offered over in the corner, she curled up on her side and shut her eyes. Sleep would not be charitable to her, but she took solace knowing at least she was able to doze.

Kagome snapped awake half of an hour later, thinking she had heard something. Not taking the chance, she slowly unfurled herself from her tiny ball and crouched beside Sesshoumaru's bed. To her shock his eyes were open, flitting from side to side, finally resting on her. Visibly he deflated.

"Where am I?"

"In the hospital. Er, an emergency hut, I suppose."

"Why is there something stuck in my skin?"

"It's fluid. It'll keep you hydrated."

"How did I get here?"

"Ambulance." Jeesh, would he stop interrogating her already?

"What is on my forehead?"

"A bandage. You took a nasty tumble."

He was silent as he took all of the news in. Maybe he was coming to realize that his health was his number one concern now?

"Why didn't you come to me earlier? We could have prevented all of this." Her heart wasn't into scolding him, and he knew it. Her voice was muted in the noiseless room. "I was worried, you know."

He scoffed, though it didn't contain any spite. "You needn't worry about me."

"Apparently I do," she snapped. "If I did then we could have circumvented all of this."

Sesshoumaru attempted to sit up, finding the small movement taxing on his weary body. Kagome placed an arm on his shoulder to help him, but his growl had her snatching her hand back as if she'd been burned. Finally he settled against the propped pillows, closing his eyes, appearing to have fallen asleep again.

"Sesshoumaru?"

His eyes snapped open, regarding the miko intently. "Yes?"

Squirming, she suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Um... how do you feel?"

The surprise registered on his face for a split second before it settled into its stony mask. "Fine."

"Are you thirsty?" His tongue roved over the top of his mouth. It was parched. His tongue felt like sandpaper.

"Yes."

"I'll be right back,"

Sesshoumaru sagged back against the back of the bed, breathing a long, lengthy sigh. He had lied. His body felt like it had been crushed beneath a boulder. His limbs ached and felt like they were filled with water. His head swam, patches of black spots danced across his vision, and sometimes it tunneled to the point of blacking out. If Kagome hadn't been ridden with emotions she would undoubtedly have smelled the deceit in him, and it was because of that he had hoped she would have narrowly missed his lie.

The thought of water was tantalizing. He wished he were able to produce saliva, to quell the paper dryness of his mouth. He took everything in with intense regard, the occupants which shared the room with him, the sterile smell which pierced his nose, and the clean linen that draped over his body. He really wasn't in the Sengoku Jidai any longer. This thought rammed straight through his heart.

This is the new world where his little brother fled to in random circumstances. Sesshoumaru couldn't grasp what appealed to the hanyou about staying here; all he'd seen so far was the effects of what pollution would do to the lush, green lands he remembered, and how civilized man had evolved. Youkai were out there. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure where they were hiding, but he knew his kind to be crafty and would invent ways to stay concealed among the human race.

Kagome returned several minutes later. Her hair was airborne, panic lacing her steps and coating her voice. "There's a demon here!" she hissed. He was somewhat sullen more so of the fact that she had not returned with his water.

He shot up, trying to find purchase to swing his legs off of the bed. Kagome pounced on him in an instant. "Where do you think you're going?" her hands held him in place, but his simmering glare warded them off. "I don't think it's such a good idea for you to be getting out of bed so soon. What if someone sees us?"

"Make sure that they don't." He said, pointing to her ears.

Harrumphing, she aided him in walking. His steps were short and wobbly, but she held enough strength to keep him upright while navigating through the narrow corridors for an exit. "Do you think we should get out of the building?" Kagome breathed after a full minute of silence. They wandered aimlessly, her trying to detect the youki once more, Sesshoumaru putting every last ounce of strength into not passing out.

Suddenly the youki spiked. Her head swiveled around. The doctor that had helped Sesshoumaru out was walking aimlessly with a clipboard in hands. He paused when he spotted the two, head canted to the side. Sesshoumaru's senses were on overdrive to compensate, and there was no mistaking that the youki was emitting from this strange man Kagome seemed to recgonize.

"Oh, it's you." She felt sheepish. What would she be doing out in the hallway with Sesshoumaru at this time of night?

"What are you two doing?" his voice echoed down the hallway, rebounding off of the walls.

"Ka...Kagome," wheezed Sesshoumaru. Sweat poured down his face in a glossy sheen. Kagome hardly noticed.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, doctor. I was just, erm, taking him to the bathroom is all." She gave him a cheeky smile.

"You should have called for a nurse. And there was a bathroom right in the room." The doctor gave her a simpering smile. Sesshoumaru grabbed Kagome's shirt sleeve.

"Don't. No. Go." His plea came out in a staccato of laboured breaths.

"What are you going on about? Are you hallucinating, too?"

"Just. Run." His head bobbed and fell. He had exhausted almost all of his energy already.

"Run? What're you - oh no!" And then it slammed into her like a freight train, overwhelming her senses, blotting out her thoughts. The evil youki slithered and coiled in thick puffs of billowy clouds, shaping around them, threatening to consume. The doctor's eyes flashed a sinister yellow light, and in the dimness of the halls his face began to elongate and morph.

Gathering Sesshoumaru stiffly against her side, Kagome sprinted down in the opposite direction, panting, running, breathing, cursing. Sesshoumaru's legs galvanized into action, keeping up with Kagome's fast pace despite his fatigue, though she held a tight grip on him to ensure he wouldn't fall behind. She crossed a breezeway, making it past the threshold before the youkai no longer disguised as a mortal man came bounding after them, shattering every window behind him in his wake, rousing ill children from their sleep.

The hospital was swathed in keening children. Kagome's ears rang. Her journey was cut short when they faced a dead end. The youkai was advancing on them, knocking down every obstacle in its path, its hollowed eyes glowing. She could make out its profile now; it had a hulking body painted indigo, with large, elongated arms sporting claws a foot long. Its mouth was long and narrow, concealing large rows of teeth which longed to have fresh blood dousing them.

Her heart hammered within her ribcage as panic turned her legs to mush. Sesshoumaru struggled to get the words out of his mouth, but he was only able to produce breathy sounds which did not register to the miko. Kagome's heart lurched and lodged in her throat. What was she to do? They couldn't go anywhere else, and each second the demon was another foot ahead. What to do, what to do?

"Out," came Sesshoumaru's breathy plea.

_Out?_ Oh!

Hefting him up onto her back much like Inuyahsa would've done to her if he was still here, Kagome made sure that the taiyoukai held a reasonable grip upon her shoulders before sprinting right towards the youkai, a breathless cry escaping her parched lips.

Swiveling expertly between various carts and objects strewn about the hallways, Kagome charged straight for the youkai, who wore a mask of puzzlement before delivering a face splitting grin. His alabaster teeth shone in the darkness.

The moment Kagome and the youkai entered the threshold of the breezeway, she pivoted smartly, lurching her and Sesshoumaru forward, and used the obtained momentum to hurl them straight out the breezeway window. The youkai careened off of the sleek floor, searching for purchase, though ultimately slammed and destroyed the door to the breezeway.

Kagome allowed herself only a second of a victory whoop before addressing Sesshoumaru on her back. "We escaped," she yelled. It only occurred to her now that they were plummeting down to the earth twenty stories high.

Rousing from his stupor, Sesshoumaru felt the wind tickle his cheeks, heard it whistle past his ears, before he deigned to open his eyes. His fist clenched tightly, drawing Kagome's shirt, as he realized they were falling. "Fool!" he hissed by her ear. "What are you doing?"

"Glad to see you're awake." Kagome rebuked blandly. "And while you were passed out, I managed to avoid the youkai. Look up."

Obliging, Sesshoumaru turned his stiff neck to see the breezeway she had crashed through. The youkai darted into his vision, finally deducing where they had escaped. He leapt out.

"He has found us."

Gasping, Kagome clung to his thighs tighter. She bit her lip.

"Summon your youki, and take to the skies. I do not think he can fly. Just allow him to fall, and then when he has wounded himself, you shall kill him."

How can he sound so complacent about all of this? Kagome mused, silently willing her youki to pool and manifest at her feet, and once they were buoyed, suspended in the air, Sesshoumaru wrestled out of her hold and stood. He only slouched slightly, but otherwise he was wide awake, senses on alert. "See that clearing?" his finger pointed to the nearby baseball park to her left. "Fly to it. He will follow our scent there." And like he had timed it, the tell-tale crash of the youkai who had fallen out after them hit the ground.

Inadvertently Kagome clung tighter to the demon lord. She could smell his perturbation, but paid no heed. They flew soundlessly through the night sky. Summoning the energy to lift them through the air had been easy enough, though maintaining this altitude with two passengers began to slowly take its toll. The youki cloud bobbed and fluctuated beneath their feet, but she remained focused and resolved.

Kagome couldn't help but ogle at the sight of Tokyo bathed in artificial lights, how they twinkled against the black backdrop. The moon over their heads was but a quarter. In a week or so it would be the new moon. Would she be there to witness Inuyasha's transformation once more? Would Sesshoumaru still be a human? The sight of both brothers sitting opposite of each other, finally sharing some common ground, brought about a swell behind her breast. Could they ever reside their differences?

Her thoughts were violently ripped away as Sesshoumaru commanded her to land. She did so, cautiously peeking over his tall shoulder, noting with a grimace that the youkai was following them on foot. Her perfected vision could see him in the startling quality that made her want to vomit. It was very ugly. It was also limping.

Sesshoumaru wrapped a secure arm around her waist. Heat spread across her cheeks at the proximity of him, how his scent bathed her, comforted her oddly enough. They landed gracefully, and all too soon his hold on her vanished. She refused to pout over it; the sound of the youkai approaching was evident enough to warrant another bout of panic.

"Do not fear him. He is but a lowly demon," Sesshoumaru whispered.

"How do you know?"

He gave her one of those who-are-you-to-question-me? looks before answering. "I don't need to be a taiyoukai to tell that he is of low class. You will be able to strike him down easily enough."

"But I'm not you!" she argued, hackles rising, acid dripping from her claws.

He arched a brow, pointedly looking at her hands. "You may not be," he said, "but you already know how to fight. Go. Succeed," and with that he stepped swiftly from the clearing, taking shelter in the brambles and bushes which circumferenced the baseball field.

Squeaking, but raging with animosity, Kagome huffed and faced her opponent, channeling all of her frustration that the taiyoukai had created in mere seconds on her fight. Her left hand shone and crackled with youki for her whip, the other dousing the ground in acid. The youkai barrelled through the chained fence straight toward her, its pointed, thorned tongue flapping in the wind. Up close it resembled closely the demon Goshinki, the reincarnation of Naraku who had snapped Tetsusaiga in its massive jaws.

The resemblance sent a fissure of fear within her belly. The demon halted abruptly, canting its head to the side, its wicked gleaming smile antagonizing her.

"I smell your fear," it said, drawing nearer, paralyzing her with fear. "You are the one I have sought. I knew it once the foolish doctor finished his talk with you."

"What did you do with him?" Kagome wailed, the only thing she could think of to say. _Wait, the one you have sought? What does that mean?_

It began to laugh raucously, spittle flying from its lips. "I devoured him!" he roared, ridding of its previous rancor. "Which is how I was able to take on his form! I will admit you are astute enough to have sensed me, but that's about all you're good for!" And then it came, sluicing the ground between its claws, tipping its massive head back to howl.

Kagome blanched, willing her legs to move. _Come on!_ she urged as her nose picked up the scent of the demon's hunger.

"Attack him!" came Sesshoumaru's orders from behind the clearing, which kick-started Kagome's nerves. Her legs galvanized into motion, just fast enough to avoid the wide arc the youkai's claws made. She was blasted away with the force of its power, landing hard on her side, crushing her arm beneath her body. Whining, Kagome sat up, noting that it was approaching her once more.

Scrambling for purchase, her foot finally caught the solid ground and propelled her forward, out of range from the demon. Remembering Sesshoumaru's parting words, she summoned the light to the tips of her fingers and struck out, catching the youkai's hindquarters. It came to a screeching halt.

Panting, the miko continued to lash out with her whip from a safe distance, causing shallow welts into his skin. It reared its ugly head back and raged, gathering up the courage to rush her. Kagome leapt out of the way, watching as its hulking form sprang into the air and hovered in the air. As it neared her and to the ground, she summoned the acid to her fingers, timing it, waiting, watching, gasping shallowly, and preparing. Its front hand stretched toward her, not seeing the acid dripping from her claws behind her back, and before it had a chance to snatch its hand back her clawtips dig deep into its flesh, tearing through sinews of muscles and bone, severing the limb. A gush of gooey, sticky hot blood doused her body before she had a chance to pull away to avoid the mess. Its yowling voice reverberated off of the trees in all directions.

Her blood stirred, responding to the bloodshed in ways she wished she could simply fight away. The beckoning of her inner youkai clouded her judgement and impaired her arm. _Kill. Slaughter. Assassinate!_ the inner voice seethed, guiding her thoughts, forcing her body to produce massive waves of youki which threatened to consume and morph her body into something that she was not.

The hold on her light whip wavered and all but released; her jaws were now too big for her head, and red was painting her vision, hampering her ability to fight back as the demon prepared to seize his chance and pounce upon her.

Sesshoumaru observed as the miko began to struggle for control, knowing that the inner youkai thirsted for devastation and bloodshed so earnestly that it was slowly gaining control over her willpower. Should he decide to intervene before she transformed unwillingly, he may be dispatched by the other youkai, or succumb to the massive dog she was beginning to become. He weighed his options, hating both, knowing he would have to pick one eventually. Maybe if he had Tenseiga with him, this wouldn't have been a problem in the first place. Maybe, if this, if that-he had to stop thinking like this.

His muscles jumped with the incentive to spring into action, but his fatigue weighed him down, preventing him from doing so. What was he going to do?

In the distance, Kagome's whip flickered and slowly faded out of existence. She stood still, rubbing furiously at her eyes, kneading her head, resisting yet succumbing to the overpowering urge that was his demon nature.

"Kagome!" he shouted, hoping that at least his words would reach her. "Fight it! Do not let it consume you now!"

_Fight what? The demon?_ she thought incoherently. _I'm already doing that, Sesshoumaru. I just... need to kill him-_

_(Oh yes, kill him, kill him really good, just like a demon would do, open your claws and bite into its flesh!)_

_-so we can be safe again._

Red was beginning to blot every inch of her vision. Her body willingly began to ease into the simple minded nature of her inner youkai.

"Stop it, Kagome! You're stronger than that, woman! I demand that you obey me this instant!"

_Sess-shomaru? Fight the demon? Which... the one inside of me?_

And like someone had flicked a switch, the youki that whirled around her in a massive tornado began to recede at an alarming rate. Kagome found herself able to view the world in startling clarity, and face-to-face with an ugly ass demon launching itself at her.

Kagome didn't give it a chance to recuperate; her other hand produced the steady stream of youki and lashed out, whipping, tearing large chunks from its body. It vociferated into the night air so loudly Kagome was tempted to cease mid-strike to cover her sensitive ears.

Massive claws tore a chunk of the ground out close to where she stood, knocking her off balance long enough to pin her to the ground with its remaining hand. Hot, cloying youkai breath wafted over her. Kagome gagged.

"You think that little man is right? There is no way you can defeat me!" The massive hand constricted tighter around her body, almost ceasing her breathing.

Kagome clawed and kicked and bucked, though his grip was too strong. Its massive head neared her own, its fangs dangerously close to hers face. She wriggled, panic swelling and making her frantic. Her fingers wrapped securely around its hand, and squeezed, sinking her claws into the meaty flesh and shooting a large dose of poison straight into the limb.

The demon shrieked and tried at first to pull away, but she held on, releasing her grip only when he was about to thrust her into the air. She landed roughly, tumbling, finally righting herself as the demon began nursing its poisoned hand. Kagome watched with satisfaction as the poison ate away at the ligaments and muscles, leaving only a limp, useless appendage. Now, he had lost two weapons.

Clouds began rolling over the night sky, temporarily blotting out the light the moon offered. The demons eyes were glowing, almost tinged red with fury as it charged her, mindlessly angry.

Finally, she dealt the last blow, severing its meaty, spade shaped head clean off of its shoulders. Its head rolled on the dewy grass, its body sagged and teetered over at a precarious angle before flopping to the ground, lifeless and unmoving. The eyes on its head faded.

Her breath came out in thready gasps. Her blood rang in her ears. She was so caught up in the aftermath of the battle, Sesshoumaru nearly startled her out of her pants when he silently sidled up next to her. He surveyed the extent of the damage with an astute eye, noting the large chunks sliced into the body, and the severed head with some amusement. He didn't think she would be able to pull this off so quickly and effortlessly; clearly he had underestimated her, which would be a fault he would not soon repeat.

"You did well." She jumped, eyes widened in alarm. Kagome stilled when she realized he had paid her a compliment, and not a reprimand she had been expecting.

"Oh, um, thank you." She whispered, finding it difficult to keep her voice steady. "I'm also thankful that you pulled me out of... well, whatever that was."

He gave her a look that told her he understood. It did funny things to her insides. She felt taxed and dreary, though the one thing that seemed to keep her head level was the sight of Sesshoumaru, who no longer looked to be in much agony. Some colour had painted his skin, though it must have been due to the adrenaline corresponding with the need of survival. It wouldn't be surprising if he collapsed when they got back to the hospital room.

Speaking of which...

"We need to get back," she intoned, pleased that it sounded calm and controlled. Over the small swell of land, she could spot the hospital which they resided, alight with bustling nurses and doctors no doubt trying to rectify and solve the problem which was the large, gaping hole in their breezeway. They would need to return before either of them would be noted missing. "Come on," she urged once more.

Sesshoumaru slowly strode away from her, but as she hustled to catch his side, she nearly fell over in stitches laughing.

The sound of her giggling made him pause, cant his head, and then inevitably peer over his shoulder. He saw that she was fixed in a ball on the grassy ground, clutching her abdomen, one finger shakily pointed in his direction. "What is it?" he growled, which only seemed to escalate her laughter into hysterics.

She pointed to his person with a shaky finger. "Look at what you're wearing!" she said with a hardly muffled laugh. His eye twitched in annoyance; he was not ashamed by his state of dress, but this woman was making it increasingly difficult to not be a bit self-conscious.

And then, as if by design, the wind fluttered up the flimsy, thin garments he wore, revealing his bare buttocks. "Ah," he mused. _That could be it._

xXx

Kagome curled up within her sheets, puffing her bangs out of her eyes with a sigh. There it was again, that _need_ she wasn't willing to indulge again. She knew all she had to do was ask—he would help her without complaint, as he had done before. But with him sound asleep on the hospital bed beside her, it wasn't a good opportunity to wake him. True to her prediction he had slipped within his covers and fell asleep in a blink.

Her shining golden eyes searched the darkness for the unconscious taiyoukai, taking in his stilled body and the steady rise and fall of his chest. There was a smidgen of room, maybe enough for her to occupy without being caught. He didn't possess his super powers anymore, but she was aware that he retained his conditioning and training.

Making up her mind, she slid from the small confines of the couch and skulked to the bedside. Her nose twitched as she smelled his apple cider and caramel aroma. _Just for a few minutes, maybe…_

Her padded feet hefted her upon the bedside without a motion, holding her breath she slid easily beside the dog demon's right side and cradled her head on her makeshift arm pillow. She breathed a sigh of relief, cider and caramel filling her nose pleasantly. His heat radiated through the blankets and gave her comfort and solace. Best of all, he didn't even seem aware of her.

Feeling bold, Kagome snuggled up flush beside him, her cheek pressed against the side of his chest, and her toes tickling his. The relief followed shortly after, the necessary stress reliever by sleeping with someone for comfort and protection. She didn't really know if most of it stemmed from her taiyoukai nature, or just by plain want. Not wanting to spoil the moment, she fluttered her eyes closed and fell asleep with a few deep breaths.

Sesshoumaru's brown eyes snapped open, taking in the woman squished to his side so trustingly. It reminded him of when Rin would invite herself to a handful of his fur, becoming entangled and stuck to his side for the rest of the night. He had introduced her to pack sleeping, mostly out of necessity because the winter nights were long and chilled. But this was Kagome, and it was completely different. And yet, it wasn't, he sighed fruitlessly. He knew better than most what it was like to sleep alone, a young pup, without the company of his pack mates beside him.

Kagome shifted in her sleep, her fingers finding his hair. She played idly with it, tugging sometimes, and humming nonsensical things under her breath that he couldn't discern. Sesshoumaru decided that it would be best to relax and forget about it. The decision would have been carried on easier if she hadn't decided to roll onto her other side, bringing his hair with her and twisting his body so that he was curved around her small frame. He resisted the urge to shove her off, though he, too, shortly fell back asleep.

xXx

So... maybe some things to clarify, just in case?

_The note about why Kagome slept beside Sesshoumaru:_

He sort of explains this by saying she's still a 'young' pup who needs to sleep with others, so it's against her nature not to trust one of her 'packmates.' She wouldn't have felt this way for him had she still been human, which explains why she doesn't feel like this toward Inuyasha. And since Inu is only _half_, and it's been explained that he feels more of his human nature, his urge to sleep with others is muted compaired to a taiyoukai. And maybe Kagome is finally starting to feel something for Sesshoumaru...? I guess you'll find out!

**Big thanks** to **madin456!** You rock with your editing expertise, and asking the appropriate questions, because sometimes I do not make sense!


	10. Wild Ones

A/N: Hey guys, here's the next installment. I have to let all of you know that I'll be going away for summer training up in Ontario for about 7 weeks, and updates will be few and far between. I WILL make an honest effort to keep posting them, but I wish for you to be patient with me. HLM isn't going anywhere!

Thank you for generous reviews, favourite author/storys, and liking my story. You guys keep me going!

Thank you **madin456** for your wonderful help!

xXx

Human Like Me

Wild Ones

It's not like Kagome had an issue with early mornings; when in the feudal era, sleeping two hours past dawn was a luxury not enjoyed too often by her companions. Her constant reminder to them that they had only gotten several hours of rest never fully swayed them, but boy, Kagome _sure_ loved her sleep-in days. Her friends never adopted the pastime.

She was learning that this applied to Sesshoumaru as well.

"Five more minutes," she grumbled from under her layers of bedding. Something nudged her shoulder, more urgent this time. "What?" she huffed.

Kagome met Sesshoumaru's unwavering gaze equally. "I require breakfast." He stated calmly. She stole a glance at her alarm clock, which told her it was ten past six. She couldn't even see the sun on her side of the hospital yet. Groaning, Kagome wrestled herself from the sheets and stretched. Her youki crackled beneath her skin like mild electric shocks, which danced across his skin warningly.

"Why are you distressed?" he inquired.

Her golden eyes snapped open. The youki faded. "Huh?" she uttered intelligently. "What do you want to eat?"

Since returning from their battle with the youkai that had masqueraded as one of the doctors, he had been on a strict dietary meal to boost his protein and carbohydrates. Conveniently enough for them, they had been able to slip back into the room they had been staying in without giving away that they had left… or made the big hole in the wall. After, he had been diligently accepting his proffered meals from her mother, though this morning he had sought her out. That could only mean one thing.

"You want something special on the menu, right?"

He shrugged.

"What could I get you that Mama can't?"

He pretended to think about it. "Raw, freshly caught venison," his eyes flashed at the prospect.

"Seriously?" the miko verified.

"When am I never serious?" he countered, a faint smirk on his lips.

"But the doctor said to eat things humans can eat, not raw meat!" The thought slightly repulsed her.

Sesshoumaru, it appeared, would not be losing this battle. "I have often eaten raw venison. It has yet to do me harm."

"That's when your body could handle it!" She reminded. "It could be carrying worms, or diseases, for all you know! And it contains a lot of iron, too. That would make you sicker."

"It does not matter."

_Of course it doesn't, Mr. Princess._ She studied his steely face, and smelled his eagerness. He had never before made a point to want something with fervor, always taking what was given to him with grace. Then, something clicked.

"Are you craving it?" she asked dubiously. "You have _cravings?_"

"Those emotions are beneath me." He argued. "And reserved for hormonal women," he added as an after-thought. Kagome shot him a look, but otherwise seemed… relieved.

He observed as she wilted beneath him, her spark for a fight fading as she gave in.

"What do you want me to…catch?"

He sifted through his internal menu, and selected with some enthusiasm. "Elk."


	11. Long Shot

**A/N:** Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I'm back! I know, two (almost three) grueling months with no updates, but I'm officially back, **madin456** at the ready! Because it's been a while I'm updating two at once, and the next chapter should be up shortly afterwards.

So I survived my medical training! Wee! And let me say this, I WISH I had time to work on this, but there was never a moment in between studying, relentless room inspections, and bar hopping to get it done haha. But here you are. Let the SessKag fluff begin!

xXx

Human Like Me

**Long Shot**

Sweat dripped from her forehead; her hair stuck to her skin like glue. Her attempt to regain dominance failed miserably when he gained the upper hand, successfully overpowering her and trapping her in a corner. Her eyes flashed in response to his subtle smirk as he lunged for the kill. They grappled, rolling and twisting and gyrating along the ground for the top position. She finally pushed him off of her and scuttled back, bringing her feet underneath her and squaring off once more as he prepared to subdue her again.

As he neared she brought her defenses up. Oh no, he would not win so easily!

The dissatisfying _crack_ of her wooden sword hitting the tiled floor brought about a small, rare smile on his lips.

"I win," he said, sheathing his 'sword' within his obi. Kagome fumed and crossed her arms like a petulant child.

"I _almost_ won," she said haughtily, grabbing her weapon and pointing it in his direction. "Once more."

"Patience, miko," he chided. "This is enough for today. You will not learn more if you drain yourself."

"But I'm not tired!" she protested. "Maybe a little sweaty…but seriously, we can keep going!"

Her enthusiasm towards sword training had taken him by surprise; surely a miko wouldn't need to utilize a weapon in their defense, and as he recalled she was a master with archery. He had noticed the shift in her priorities when he spied on her rummaging through her closet, coming upon his prized swords, Tenseiga and Tokijin, resting against the wall, abandoned. Since then, she had been drilling him to teach her swordsmanship, and he had finally relented. They had been training for well over five consecutive hours, and normally he would be obliged to continue; though, he held another obligation, one that demanded to be heard and obeyed.

"Supper is soon," he stated, crossing the short distance from the courtyard to the Higurashi's house. "We shall continue tomorrow."

She pouted sullenly, but didn't protest further. She collected their wooden swords and returned them to her father's shrine shop before he noticed them missing, hurrying to catch up with the dog demon.

"You learn quickly," he commented lightly. She beamed.

"Really?"

"Hn."

"That's strange," she said, "When I learned to use the bow, I was a lousy shot for a _long_ time. Inuyasha threatened to put me down once or twice because he said I couldn't hit anything even if it was right in front of me. I proved him wrong, right?" When he didn't acknowledge her victory she quickly relapsed back into calm. She had to remember that Sesshoumaru was not an overly enthusiastic person, and the fact that he had complimented her skills was a rarity. She didn't wish to lose her privilege of praises so soon.

"You have a knack for the blade." He told her. "With more training, you should be able to use these skills in real combat."

She didn't know _what_ he was talking about; it had been more than a week since their encounter with the youkai at the hospital, and since she hadn't felt even so much of a hint of another youkai within her city. She had summed it up as a fluke, but Sesshoumaru was still unwilling to believe that youkai existence had been wiped out in merely five centuries. He told her that perhaps it had been a stupid youkai who had foolishly chosen a fight, and he was confident that there were more in hiding, blending in with society, but still living. Kagome didn't share his hope, but she found it admirable of him to put so much faith in his species.

"Um, thank you," she replied, the smell of supper drifting through the air particles and reaching her nose. "Ooh, spaghetti!"

xXx

"There isn't a way that a '_star_,' as you say, can tell me about my destiny."

"I'm not saying it _can_, I'm just saying people believe that astrology and the alignment of stars can predict your future, and tell you who you are."

Sesshoumaru cast a side-long glance at the star-gazing miko. Was this woman as foolish as he thought? "Do you believe in that?" he waggled an accusatory finger toward the sky.

Kagome pursed her lips. "Not entirely. It _is_ nice to have something to believe in, even if it's just an illusion. People don't like the unknown; it scares them."

"Yet another human nuance which escapes me," sighed the taiyoukai, who shifted from his back onto his side away from her. "What good is knowing your future, when everything is predetermined anyway?" he scoffed.

Kagome let a small puff of breath escape her lips. "So you think us doing a switch-a-roo was all predestined?"

This silenced the dog demon for a considerable amount of time. Kagome suspected he'd fallen asleep. "If it was destined," he said after another long pause, his words articulate and rehearsed, "then the Fates have some sort of twisted sense of humour."

Kagome snorted; Sesshoumaru tried to hide the small smirk on his lips. "I'm sure it's for a reason," Kagome said, folding her arms behind her head. "Ooh, you see that small cluster of stars? Just slightly above it is the scorpion."

"Scorpion?"

The miko turned her head toward Sesshoumaru, staring at his backside. He looked almost... relaxed; there wasn't a bit of tension in his body, and his scent was soothing and controlled. He was content. Not at all ready to strike, like a scorpion. "Yeah, but don't worry about it." She replied softly, returning her eyes back to the glittering ceiling. How could she explain to him the scorpion when all she could think about was how it reminded him of her?

Had he always been like this? The only times where Sesshoumaru had ever appeared even slightly contented was when Rin was in his presence, and even then the guarded expression and attitude remained in place. Sesshoumaru always was ready to strike. Was this another side that Kagome was being privy to this moment? Perhaps attaining enhanced senses toward everything aided her in understanding his demeanor more. It helped to be able to distinguish his moods by his scent, though... his scent said something else his words did, almost always.

_Yes, just like a prepared scorpion._

It was silent once more, which Kagome appreciated quietly. It was companionable; something she never truly felt would happen between her and the taiyoukai. For once she didn't have to worry at all about being in his vicinity and having her head cut off. Kagome allowed herself to breathe in deeply the smell of him as the wind shifted slightly in her direction, taking comfort in knowing that it continued to be relaxed and... happy? Was that what the scent of daffodils and sweet grass associated with? Or was her nose broken and she was smelling the grassy plain that surrounded them?

Sometime during Kagome's inner discussion Sesshoumaru had flipped back onto his back. The only indicative thing to have alerted the miko of such movement was when his shoulder brushed against hers and remained there, a constant warmth that comforted her in the oddest way. She felt her cheeks flush. Did he even realize that he was touching her? Kagome thought maybe not, since he hadn't exactly lost his cool demeanor at all.

"What is that shape?" Sesshoumaru broke the silence, nearly startling Kagome. His finger pointed to the Big Dipper.

Oh, now he wanted to know about star clusters? Was he intentionally bothering her about human beliefs? No, possibly not; the demon wished to never affiliate with humans if he didn't have to. So why the shift in interest? Kagome decided to entertain his curiosity.

"Oh, that's what we call the Big Dipper." Kagome supplied. Bravely, without thinking much into it, she took his larger hand in hers and traced another shape with his pointed index finger. Her cheeks were bright red but she thanked the darkness for concealing it, though she was certain he could hear her heart hammer in her chest over the bold move.

Despite her assumptions, Sesshoumaru did not strike or twist out of her grasp. Neutrally he observed as she showed him images within the aligned stars with his hand, first showing him where the Little Dipper was, then the Milky Way, and where the North star was.

Oddly enough, the sensation the taiyoukai received from this simple star-gazing lesson was not one of perturbance; he found himself enjoying the experience, if not delving deep into the intricacies which was Fate. If it was meant for them to be in this situation, what did it mean to have some sort of an attachment toward the miko, who stole his latent powers? He no longer could lie to himself convincingly—another type of bond, albeit less complicated than the one they currently shared, was weaving itself between them. And the worst part was, Sesshoumaru thought himself powerless to tug away the strings. What was it with humans and having an almost uncanny ability to attach themselves to objects and people so easily? More importantly, what was it with human women?

Even Rin had fashioned her own home within his heart.

Would this miko do the same?

xXx

See that box? Yeah, that one right down there. You should click it. Yup. And right something. Something prettiful, and nice, and encouraging. Yup. It's a good idea, my readers. I love all of you!


	12. Paradise Lost

**A/N**: And as promised, here's chapter two. Just a simple 100 word drabble that I thought needed to be here. Enjoy.

xXx

Human Like Me  
><strong>Paradise Lost<strong>

"You've _never_ tried chocolate?"

Sesshoumaru's silence settled her suspicions.

She steered them off their path through the park and led them to a candy store. Kagome purchased a chocolate bar and held it out to the dog demon. "Eat it," she demanded.

He sniffed it delicately, and plucked the candy from her hands. He peeled it back, took a little nibble, and chewed thoughtfully.

"_Well_…?" Kagome urged excitedly.

He nodded his approval and took another, larger bite. She smiled. He rolled his eyes and took another chomp. When she asked for a bite, he promptly fled the store.


	13. Strut

A/N: Sorry for the wait you guys, but FF was being a troll. The DocX was being a pain to me and mein beta **madin456**, who delivered flawlessly for me once again.

Hope you enjoy!

Human Like Me  
><strong>Strut<strong>

Kagome entered the kitchen to accompany her mother, who was staring sullenly out of the window into the pre-dawn light, a piece of tomato half sliced in her hands. She smelled of rain. "Mom?" her daughter carefully implored, starting Mrs. Higurashi.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drift off like that." There was an undercurrent in Mrs. Higurashi's voice that said she was holding something back.

"What're you looking at?" the miko bobbed her head over her mother's shoulder, taking in the expansive shrine area tiled with solid rock stones and peppered with rust coloured leaves from the Goshinboku. It took her a moment, but then she spotted Sesshoumaru avidly sparring against a practice samurai dummy stuffed with straw and amoured with weathered leather. In his hand was a blunt old katana which did little to even graze the straw in half. "Oh." She said succinctly, as if understanding her mother's gawking.

"Oh, he looks so depressed," Mrs. Higurashi sighed.

"Depressed?" Kagome's nose crinkled. "He looks like he normally does. He _loves_ to train."

"Oh, it's okay sweetie. You just don't see it."

"See what?" Kagome made an effort to scrutinize the taiyoukai thoroughly, which only brought about a small giggle from her mother. "I don't get you, mom."

"You're too young, so it's all right," admonished Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome did not imagine the glint in her mother's brown eyes upon sighting the taiyoukai once more. _It's like she knows something I don't... _But she wasn't a little girl anymore, and her mother sometimes failed to realize that fact. Kagome didn't riddle her mother for more details, however.

"Maybe you should try and get him out of the house a little. I mean, all he does is sleep, and eat, and train. Mostly sleep."

Kagome studied Sesshoumaru keenly, noting how sweat glistened off of his chest and poured down his sculputed front in rivulets and disappeared down into the waistband of his pants. His raven hair clung to his neck and shoulders enticingly. Kagome licked her abruptly dry lips. _Oh my..._ Kagome carefully swallowed. "Like what?"

Her mother continued dicing the small tomatoes at a leisure pace, smiling fondly at her daughter's curiosity. Her fingers deftly sliced, and as she lost herself in the soothing motions, when a thought struck her. "Wait here," Mrs. Higurashi abandoned her neatly prepared food and headed into the living room, catching another glimpse of Sesshoumaru through the curtained windows as she swiped the pamphlet up from the coffee table. "I think this would suit him quite well." She proffered the paper to Kagome.

"Oh, Mom!" the miko cheered. "This is perfect!"

xXx

In a neat, single file line, the candidates for Kagome's school fencing and kendo instructors stood to face their students. Said miko stood off at the sidelines, accompanied by a greater portion of her eleventh grade peers. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi flanked both of her sides, all eyes glued to Sesshoumaru as he accepted his turn and strode purposefully into the center of the gymnasium's green shiny floor.

Clad in the traditional fencing garbs, along with the face mask settled at the top of his black head, he looked characteristically out of place. The uniform clung to his form tightly, displaying his well toned form. Kagome was fighting to remain level-headed around her love-struck friends, finding it measurably difficult when he adopted the readying pose with his epee opposite of his opponent. He was the last to be fought among the twenty other candidates, and with only one position open, the air was charged with competition and anxiousness. It was almost tangible to Kagome's tongue, and it pierced her sensitive nose.

Sesshoumaru fluidly met strike for strike his opponent's blows, parrying and dodging and lunging so artfully others around her visibly swooned. Fencing hadn't been around in his era, but with the help of her little brother Souta and YouTube, the taiyoukai had been privy to all sorts of different fencing lessons to prepare himself. Just witnessing him utilize his recently absorbed information so effortlessly sent a pang of jealousy straight through the miko's heart.

Swiftly, Sesshoumaru and his opponent switched their epees in for bamboo swords called _shugo_. They changed hastily out of their fencing garbs into traditional kimonos, and started the intricate sequences of katas. Versed since childhood, Sesshoumaru easily overpowered and outmaneuvered his opponent with a flourish. His adversary met blow for blow, if not just as equal in strength, which served to amuse and please the demon lord. Without his youkai powers his strength was equivalent to a normal human beings, but with centuries of muscle memory it stood to serve him well.

Kagome could not hide the excitement on her face as Sesshoumaru submerged himself within his rightful art. Even when he had been seeking to kill her, she had always appreciated his gracefulness and staggering agility, given his broad size. Inuyasha thoroughly lacked the training and discipline to be a true swordsman no matter how mighty Tetsusaiga was, it pained her to admit, even to herself.

Although the hanyou proved time and time again that he was not someone to be underestimated, deeming himself a capable learner and a competent swordmaster. He had a long way to go still, many centuries to hone his skills, but what he'd already accomplished was staggering. She had to give him more credit sometimes.

Her mind focused back on the fight. If she were being true to herself, watching the demon lord was a true pleasure.

Just as Sesshoumaru prepared to sweep the floor with his opponent, a sharp intake of breath came from behind Kagome. Unbidden, her pointed ears twitched toward the sound. Kagome swiveled her head to stare at a girl who she recognized in her geometry class; perky nose which suspended large spectacles, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Her eyes were wide with astonishment.

"Uri, what's the matter?" one of the girls beside the stricken woman asked.

As if she were mute, an accusatory finger lifted and pointed in Sesshoumaru's direction. Kagome felt a spike of anger strike her in the heart.

"Yeah, what about him?" Kagome seethed.

"He's... he's missing an arm." And it was a wonder the whole student body had heard; a chorus of gasps rippled through the crowd.

The scent of dry leaves and ripened fruit filled Kagome's nostrils. Upon further inspection she was surprised to find that the air was also scented with roses and butter. She could literally taste the disappointment in the air, literally palpable; but she couldn't ignore the fact that some were awed by his flawless executions even when handicapped.

She whirled on the horde. "So what if he's missing an arm?" she gestured behind her to the swordsmen still engaged in battle, oblivious to the murmurs surrounding them. "Don't you see he's in a class of his own? He doesn't even need two arms!" This last statement was directed towards Uri. The girl had the decency to look abashed.

Satisifed that she had rectified the issue, Kagome turned back in time to see Sesshoumaru wield the _shinai _expertly towards the instructor's midsection, only to feign in a large arc that swung around his head and stopped with the tip pointed directly at the instructor's jugular. "I win," she heard him breathe, winded, to his opponent. It did not contain disdain, nor haughtiness; it really sounded like he had enjoyed the battle.

Bowing respectfully to each other, Sesshoumaru returned to his orderly rank, passing Kagome as he went. Cheerily she pumped her fist into the air for a high-five, which he dubiously averted, leaving her bruised and hanging. "Jerk," she muttered. "Great job!" she called.

Sesshoumaru merely nodded, eyes focused on the triage of judges congregating and discussing. Catching wisps of their conversation with her perked ears, it was obvious who they had chosen. When the demon lord actually deigned to grace her with a glance, she offered a positive thumbs up, but no more. He refrained from rolling his eyes.

"We have discussed, and the decision was unanimous." The judge who had trialed Sesshoumaru stepped forward to represent his group, searching each of his previous combatants eagerly. She noticed his gaze settled a beat too long on the taiyoukai before he continued. "And since the voting was in consensus, we shall disclose here who we will appoint."

Kagome's clawed hands weaved through her friends'. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip when the judge stepped forward, pivoted, and stood in front of Sesshoumaru with a Cheshire smile. They deftly clasped hands and bowed respectfully.

"Congratulations, Higurashi Sesshoumaru. Welcome aboard."

With only a curt nod, he quickly shook his other instructors' hands and promptly fled from the center of attention. Kagome rushed towards him, impulsively wrapping her arms around his midsection as she squealed, "I knew it! You did it!"

For one beat she thought he was going to return her hug; his one arm wrapped around her shoulders, drawing her near for a second. Then his hand found the top of her head. And then he was slowly, awkwardly, disengaging her body from his and stepping out of her embrace. He huffed once they were apart, refusing to meet her gaze, but she could smell the pride wafting from him in waves.

"I'm proud," she said, blushing. And she _was_ proud of him.

"It was nothing."

"_Nothing?_ You should have heard the things the women were saying about you!" she gushed.

"I do not think that I should." Did he just _shudder?_ Kagome blinked in rapid succession. "Something impairing your vision?" he asked smoothly.

"No," she dismissed too quickly. "At least now you'll go easy on me in class." She inserted hopefully.

"Do not count on it. If anything, I shall go harder, since you are more adept to handle the more strenuous exercises." He said this so coolly and neutrally that Kagome felt dirty for even thinking anything more of it. "Your mind is quite perverted." His small smirk did funny things to her insides that felt more intense with his insinuation.

"You didn't have to put it like that." Petulantly she stuck her tongue out at him. And then, to rectify the situation, she stuck out her clenched fist.

Wordlessly, he bumped his fist against hers. Inside she beamed.

Whispers from the crowd that had been spiteful toward Sesshoumaru carried on saying their nasty comments, but Kagome promptly ignored him. They'd come to realize that his handicap was not a hindrance, but a source of strength.

Sesshoumaru gave her one last, insightful glance, and walked off out of the gym, his chin high, steps measured, and shoulders squared. Kagome would recognize that mannerism anywhere.

_Is he strutting?_

xXx

Carrying himself with the ease and grace of only a true swordsman, Sesshoumaru taught with the confidence of a well seasoned fighter, which served to entice and ensnare all those who watched as he demonstrated flawlessly executed maneuvers which would soon be expectant of them. Kagome was among that gaggle of gawkers, mouth slack and eyes wide. Sure she had seen Sesshoumaru fight many times, but this was an opportunity to watch his lithe body in action. If she were being honest with herself, she found it quite sexy.

Since he had been selected for the seasonal positions of fencing and kendo instructor, Kagome had swapped out her English free period in favour of this class. Sesshoumaru wasn't aware of this switch. It was likely that he never should.

It was only day two of class, and already it was wheedled down to the most promising students. Sesshoumaru had ruthlessly tried and cut each who did not meet his specific requirements; although he _had_ chosen her, and she wasn't too snoody to know that she needed a _lot _of work. As of yet, the opportunity to spar with him had not risen. Secretly she was glad, but another part of her longed to engage in battle with this oppressing male whom had once sought to slice her head off of her shoulders. He probably still did, she mused bitterly.

Kagome accepted the bamboo training sword and the light armour willingly enough from the last contender to face Sesshoumaru. That would have made ten before her, and his alabaster skin was hardly shining with sweat. Upon closer inspection as she donned the versatile armour, Kagome noticed that his chest was hardly heaving from a strenuous battle. He had just fought ten people relentlessly for half of an hour, how was he _not_ keeling over already?

Only slightly perturbed by his formidable appearance, Kagome shrugged into her overly large armour. Sesshoumaru tossed the _shugo_ her way, which she caught swiftly, sending him a knowing smirk that he did not return. Maybe, she thought, if I weren't part of the two girls here this wouldn't be so bad. Just peeking around her shoulder to confront the gaggle of men eagerly awaiting the battle between her and Sesshoumaru proved to be enough of an incentive to fight with everything she had. Surely he would be able to take it, and in this instant, reciprocate.

Catching a small glint in his eyes that helped to ease her anxiousness, Kagome smiled shyly back at the taiyoukai. He did not return the favour. She felt her chest visibly deflate; at least he was still himself. Sesshoumaru blotted out the rest of the world, pooling his focus only on Kagome, his rival, his enemy. Synapses of his claws seeking her throat in the past, thinking of her only as collateral damage, a nuisance, a whiny wench, staggered him momentarily. Surely the situation had shifted? Sesshoumaru looked to the miko who clenched the _shugo_ tightly, wringing it between her hands.

Kagome bravely swallowed her fear and approached Sesshoumaru, bowing respectfully, and distancing herself a foot away with her left hand clasped over her right on the bamboo sword. Did she just see a flash of mirth behind his burnished brown eyes, or was that just her imagination? Once commencing, the taiyoukai did not spare any time in slicing straight for the miko's abdomen, who hastily managed to twist her sword sideways to block the attack, and disengage him.

She felt immensely clumsy and off-balance while trying to return his brutal blows. He did not spare her any of his strength, if anything unleashed a majority of his capabilities upon her just to advertise his prowess, making a spectacle of them. With each attack came small, whispered quips of advice on how to block that particular attack in the future. His hushed voice was only high enough for her keen youkai hearing to pick up, though she aptly sponged up all the information he was offering her and utilized it to her advantage.

Kagome rushed him, emboldened by her confidence. Her aim swung straight and true for the demon lord's abdomen, and just as the tip was about to bury itself within his tender flesh, suddenly there was an interference. His own bamboo sword swatted hers away like a tiny fly, wrenching it from her grasp, hurdling it across the gym.

"You lose," he said simply, breathing slightly haggard.

"I don't think so." Kagome declared, and, galvanizing her legs into motion, sprinted across the gym floor and retrieved her weapon. The ogles she received were an impressive amount. "Five second roll." She was now grinning like a madwoman.

Sesshoumaru regarded the miko, unable to cease the involuntarily muscle spasms in his right eye. She had lost, why was she so eager to continue their already worn out battle? Although, he admonished himself, in a real battle it wouldn't be over until she was dead. Perhaps he should play into her little game to see what else she was hiding behind that faux mask of innocence.

Perking up a little, Kagome shifted her feet as Sesshoumaru came to a definite conclusion and began to close in on her, taking no prisoners. Running scenarios through her mind, Kagome felt her breathing quicken and her pulse pound in her ears, waiting, watching, for when the taiyoukai would surely strike. And then, acting upon impulse, Kagome instigated the battle, taking him successfully by surprise as her sword whooshed by his head mere centimeters past his scarred forehead.

That's when the game morphed and became much more serious—a battle of true warriors. Kagome ducked and dodged and rebuttled, but in the end her sword was once again dispatched from her grasp, and the tip of his was settled up against her jugular. Sesshoumaru's eyes were alight with an emotion she had never seen on his face before. It caused her breathing to hitch, and for her mind to go blank. _Hunger._

"I lose," she offered meekly, eager to be away from his acute stare. Visibly sagging, Sesshoumaru removed the tip of the _shugo_ from her neck and 'sheathed' it within his obi, bowing respectfully when she snapped out of her confusion.

As Sesshoumaru retreated, the swarm of students encircled her, and she soon found herself in the epicenter of the cacophony of cheers and praise. How well she did, how much she held her own, how she knew just when to strike and dodge, were all thrusted upon her in heaps. She found her face blushing scarlet.

Eri, the only one of her friends who had agreed to take the class with her, hauled her away from the mob. "That was terrific, Kagome," her friend cajoled, smiling widely.

"Really?" the miko scrunched her nose. "I was kind of doing terrible. I mean, he _is_ an expert."

"We all know _that_, Kagome." Her friend lightly tutted. "I mean, it's not like any of us seniors had a chance to win anyways, but you held your own out there well."

Kagome shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "Others did better than I did," she lamely offered.

"Oh, Kagome," Eri drew her friend into a half-embrace. "If only he had sparred so passionately with the rest of us like that."

"That was passion?" she snorted.

"Well, yes. He was so intent on your spar; his eyes never left you."

"If he did he would have gotten cut." Kagome explained.

"It was the _way_ he looked at you. Not the why, Kagome. I think he's smitten."

"_Smitten?_" the miko repeated, unable to help the guffaw that escaped through her lips at the incredulity. "I don't think Sesshoumaru is smitten over anyone."

Eri stole a quick glance at the taiyoukai himself, who was drying off his face with a soft towel, his back to them. "I think he is." And then she stalked off, leaving Kagome reeling and rendered speechless.

xXx

"Oh my gosh, did you _see_ the way Higurashi-sensei fought against you?" Yuka chirped excitedly, elbowing Kagome sportingly. "His eyes _never_ left you for a second!"

Kagome grimly smirked. "Because he'd get his head chopped off if he didn't," she replied.

"No, not like _that_," Eri interjected, consoling her friend. "He was very concentrated on you. What is his availability as of now?"

"Ack! What do you mean?"

"I mean, is he single, or not?"

"No, he's single. I think he'd prefer it to stay that way,"

Yuka cast a sharp look at her friend Eri behind Kagome. Unfortunately for them, she had caught that. "What's the problem?" she pressed.

"Nothing," Ayumi quipped. Her brows waggled, and that worried Kagome.

"So, have you asked him to the festival yet?" Pestered Yuka on the way to class, boxing Kagome in between her two other friends. They weren't sparing any expense.

"Um, no," she said, "I hadn't really thought of it since you mentioned it."

"But Kagome!" gasped Ayumi. "It's next Friday! You only have another week. You've _got_ to ask him!"

"Ask who?"

"Sesshoumaru-san!" the three girls chorused together. Kagome flushed scarlet.

"I mean, you guys are only second-cousins, right?" quizzed Ayumi eagerly.

"No," cut in Eri, "she said they were third-cousins."

"Well, I heard that she and him were only really distant relatives." Chimed in Yuka.

"Let me straighten this out here." Kagome interjected hotly. "He is my _third_-cousin, through marriage, and once removed. There, happy?" she prayed they would not remember her previous association with the taiyoukai, when she introduced them as second-cousins only. Thankfully, none of them were too worried about the details.

"See? You're not even related! You guys should totally hook up."

"Um, I don't know..."

"C'mon, Kagome! Live a little. I mean, just look at him!"

Kagome turned in the direction that smelled of apple cider and caramel, spotting Sesshoumaru languorously lounging against the stucco wall, chatting with one of the fencing instructors animatedly. Er, as animated as Sesshoumaru could be, anyways. In that split second, it was as if they shared an invisible link, for as she brushed by him, his eyes slanted her way just in time to catch a glimpse of her anxious profile staring back at him.

"Oh my god! Did you see the way he looked at you!" Gushed Ayumi, swooning.

"Just ask him. He might just say yes," amended Eri, trying to be an anchor to her flustered friend.

"Girls, I'm not _going_," Kagome said in consternation. Her mind was frazzled by the banter surrounding her, and she felt herself losing her control slowly and steadily. Shaking her head, as if it could clear the evil intentions swirling within, she faced her friends with more calm and reason. "I'm not interested in him, so I don't care if you girls take him, okay?"

There was a silence that unsettled Kagome slightly. She stopped walking and peered over her shoulder. The girls were staring at her with an expression of shock. _Did they _just_ notice my hair?_

"Kagome," Yuka began unsteadily. "Um, we don't want to take him to the dance."

"Okay…?"

"Because," Eri piped up at the last second.

"Because…?"

"Because of the way he was looking at you," Ayumi finished.

Her heart thumped crazily in her chest. They had to be kidding her, right? Sesshoumaru would have never looked at her the way she _thought_ they meant. He hated humans! And what was worse, he hated the very fact that she was what he used to be. "You girls are funny," she joked lightly, scampering away before they could bombard her with more nonsense.

_He _never_ looks at me if he can help it. But then, when he was competing, and when we were done fighting…No! It's just not possible!_

Her golden eyes caught the form of the taiyoukai's tall form from across the hall. She thought that maybe he hadn't been aware that she was near, that their brief connection hadn't happened at all, but his eyes briefly flickered in her general direction and held her gaze for a breath, and then returned to the fencing instructor once more.

"Okay," Kagome agreed, sighing heavily. "I'll ask him." And then she stole a glance over her shoulder at the demon lord, willing for the butterflies that pooled within her stomach to disappear.


	14. Rumour Has It

A/N: Because I don't like Kikyou, that's why!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to 'Rumour Has It' lyrics by Adele.

**Human Like Me**  
>Rumour Has It<p>

Bless your soul, you got your head in the clouds.  
>She made a fool of you and, boy, she's bringing you down.<br>She made your heart melt but you're cold to the core.  
>Now rumour has it, she ain't got your love anymore.<p>

"So you guys actually have history together?" Kagome repeated, struggling to remain in her awkward position while fits of laughter threatened to topple her over. He never joked, so that meant he was serious, right? For some reason this posed an even bigger problem for the awkwardly balanced miko.

"Indeed." The taiyoukai pursed his lips, as if he tasted something bitter. He hadn't counted on Kagome to find his past... entertaining. He wasn't sure how to handle that.

"What did you do to make her hate you so much?" she questioned, noting that it had taken over an hour to finally feel the blood rush to her head, making her dizzy and faint. She would have to put a halt to this ridiculous training means soon enough, but first she needed to reveal the secret relationship between Azara and Sesshoumaru. She felt a stab of melancholy when she thought of sharing this juicy tidbit with Sango, only to realize the taijiya was centuries away.

Her recent attempts at entering the well had been, sadly, unsuccessfull. Kagome had even tried shoving Sesshoumaru down, in hopes that maybe it would respond. Unfortunately, the miko had to bury all of the sadness within herself at being unable to connect with her friends. She highly doubted Sesshoumaru would sympathize with her.

"I believe rejecting her suit in front of hundreds of family members is a suitable reason to want a feud between myself. Though I do not know why it has escalated to her using the Shikon no Tama."

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Kagome hastily, precariously angled, and close to tipping over. "She proposed to you? And you rejected her?" the laughter that bubbled to her lips was hardly stifled. The demon lord quirked his brow. He certainly did not find anything humourous, as Azara had been quite dejected and hurt. Not that he cared particularly then, nor now.

"I did."

She had to ask. "What was wrong with her?"

From upside-down, his frown looked like a smile. "She is a zealot, meaning to only purchase my property and wealth for selfish means. And she had this strange foot fetish." That last part was almost to himself, Kagome guessed as he probably forgotten her enhanced hearing. He continued, "If I wish to mate, it shall not be over land treaties or money arrangements."

"What a selfish bitch."

His eyes twinkled minutely. "Yes, I suppose that is accurate enough."

"I think I would seek revenge against you if you made fun of me like that," Kagome teased. His face softened but in seconds the expression was replaced once again with indifference.

"Yes, perhaps it is not such a wild excuse for rendering me in such a state." His hand gestured to himself.

For reasons unknown, his admission sent a flurry of butterflies to her stomach. Her mouth reacted before her brain had a chance to filter. "Is it because of what happened between your parents?" whispered the miko, hesitantly, gauging his reaction. Shit! she cursed her loose tongue. Wasn't that subject a bit too intimate to be imploring in?

There was only a sharp intake of breath which gave away his surprise.

"I have never given it much thought," he said carefully, "but I believe that is partially the reason."

Kagome wanted to seize her opportunity to ask him, now that he was in conversational mode. But she didn't want to ask him while standing on her head. She would feel foolish enough as it was. Why all of a sudden this urge to get this over with nagged her, Kagome was certain she'd never really know, so ploughing forward and not hitting the breaks seemed a fool-proof enough strategy. Her friend's beseeching echoes wrung through her ears, reminding her that she would never know until she asked.

"May I sit upright? I'm starting to see stars," she lied convincingly enough.

Sesshoumaru had the gall to look her over, deaming her suitably discomforted, before waving his hand, granting her permission. She would still never understand how standing on her head would enable her to control the flow of youki coursing through her system, but he had been adamant it had been the same training he had received when he had been much younger. He probably just wanted to see her make a fool of herself at any means possible, even to resort to old training methods. Inside, she bristled.

Finally righting herself, she heaved a sigh of relief. She had been holding that pose for far too long. The sinister stir of the youki beneath her flesh continued festering like it normally did, though lately it had begun to feel less overwhelming. Maybe these ridiculous training sessions did mean something?

"You wish to ask me something." Stated the demon lord coolly, regarding her with arresting dark eyes.

Swallowing thickly, Kagome fidgeted in place. "Uh, yes. So, I was talking with my friends this morning, and they seemed to, uh, think that... well, that is, if you want to. I mean, it's not something you'd usually do, and it's not even my idea in the first place…"

"Please spit it out," groaned the taiyoukai. He wished she would mitigate her ramblings more often and get to the point.

Colouring, Kagome plowed ahead. "Well... if you'd like, next Friday if we're still here, would you go to the festival with me?"

Sesshoumaru blinked. Kagome held her breath.

"You wish me to attend a banquet with you? After I had just told you the story of how we have ended up here?"

She squirmed. "Um... yes." Was that a little too weird? Why'd she choose _now_ to spring that question?

The demon lord eyed the miko speculatively. No thanks to his human nose, he had to rely on her subtle facial gestures to gauge her mood. From all her squirming and thumb-twiddling, he had to guess she was... nervous? He never was a great face-reader, and normally relied on a person's scent to help him out. Bereft of such gift, Sesshoumaru began to slowly piece together the complicated puzzle that was Higurashi Kagome.

But really, what could it hurt?

"I shall consider."

The miko's head snapped up. Her eyes found Sesshoumaru's. "What?" she asked succinctly, wanting to kick herself.

Canting his head in annoyance, he sniffed. "I shall consider your offer. But as I have understood," Sesshoumaru continued on, his fist at his side clenching and relaxing rhythmically, "isn't it normal for the male to be asking the female to these activities?"

Kagome smiled sweetly. "Yes, but our situation isn't exactly normal, is it?"

Sesshoumaru paused minutely in thought. "I shall consider." He reiterated, and he strode off in the opposite direction of her.

xXx

Inuyasha was proving to be quite a pill, Miroku mused disdainfully as the hanyou unleashed Tetsusaiga from its sheath and successfully cleared the forest in front of him. Without Kagome to keep him in check, he tended to overreact, lash out, and just act stupid. It wasn't as if the hanyou was keen on listening to him, anyways; Miroku might as well have been a flee on his back. He noticed that Kikyou did nothing to intervene; her impassive, clay face never changed. Kagome would've had Inuyasha sit over a hundred times by now for the stunts he'd gotten away with.

Unfortunately, Inuyasha was not the only one in the group suffering from heart-break. Shippou refused to incorporate himself into much of anything; his worry for his adoptive mother was palpable, even when his face did not betray such raw disparity. Sango often left his cot to weep outside of the hut, quietly, mournfully, though Inuyasha had confided in Miroku that he heard her do this for hours on end. Miroku, himself, longed for the miko's company and unconditional love that brought about the goodness of all their companions. And, if to be a tad truthful, he resented the undead priestess' company with a smidgen of repugnance. She was just... not what they needed, simply put.

But how could this houshi justify to them all that Kagome would surely return to them, though even he himself began to disbelieve his own hope? Through the past thirteen days of her disappearance with the demon lord, his optimism waned; did it really matter if she had, truly, swapped powers with Sesshoumaru?

That was the crux of it—could they take Kikyou's word for it? How were they to know if she were lying? Inuyasha himself had admitted to smelling Sesshoumaru with Kagome at the well before each had involuntarily departed, said that they had passed through. Though the oddest thing was, their scents had changed, altered, taking on a whole new complexity Inuyasha could not quite discern with his half-youkai nose. Shippou had confirmed this notion with a somber nod. Miroku could not rule out the possibility that the demoness who had targeted Kagome had done something else to her. Why would she want to change Kagome into a taiyoukai, anyways?

Heaving a sigh that sapped out the remainder of his patience, Miroku leaned back onto the tree and gazed into the flickering fire.

Sango was bathing alone out in the hot springs nearby with Shippou, as Kikyou remained by the fire, awaiting her turn. It did nothing to soothe the awkwardness festering inside of Inuyasha's gut; it just showed how much everyone resented Kikyou, and accepted Kagome. It hurt him in more ways than one. He had chosen Kikyou, clearly in front of his companions as Naraku had been slain. Inuyasha had not looked at Kagome once declaring his intended betrothal with the undead priestess, who in turn did little to exude happiness, anxiousness, or even a hint of emotion at all. He knew what he would see there in Kagome, the look upon her face that would inevitably unravel him and make him shake off this decision.

Inuyasha had been a deluded; he had looked forward, never checking his peripheral vision, where Kagome had dwelled and waited. He resented himself for that. Why couldn't he right that wrong, though, now that he was looking back on it? Obviously he cared for Kagome a great deal more than he had ever thought he would. Was Sesshoumaru hurting her? Killing her, even? Or was she already dead, cold, lifeless, in her own era, and he had not been there to help, all because he had chosen Kikyou?

As Inyuasha continued his internal discussion with himself, Miroku broke the silence. "How do you believe Sesshoumaru was able to pass through the well?"

The question startled the hanyou minutely. "I dunno."

"I may have an explanation," opined Kikyou, stoic as ever. Miroku pursed his lips, gestured for her to continue. "I believe that Sesshoumaru, in his own right, is a powerful demon that is able to pass through. Inuyasha is but a half-demon, yet he can pass through, as well. Have any other demons actually ever attempted to gain passage down the well?"

A taut silence fell over them, before both males shook their heads. As far as any of them were concerned, the only reason demons were sent down the well was for post-battle clean up.

"Precisely," Kikyou affirmed.

"Though, if what you're saying is true," mulled Miroku, marshalling his thoughts properly, "he would have been human when they fell through, correct? What say you to that, Kikyou?"

The priestess allowed a fleeting trace of emotion to cross her features; puzzlement twisted her pale lips into a grimace, and her chocolate eyes tersely flickered. Then, as if nothing had occurred, her face smoothed back into its usual complacent mask. "Fair point well made houshi-san."

"We have already been through the reason as to why he wouldn't have gained Kagome's miko powers," Inuyasha muttered from the corner, eager to put some input into the conversation.

"Yes, because we think that she is not able to transfer powers reincarnated to her. Sesshoumaru would have to be another reincarnation for that to happen. And even then we're not entirely sure that is what's happened." Miroku relayed to the elder priestess. Kikyou nodded her head. "So that means he wouldn't be a priestess—or priest." He remained tight-lipped for another minute before plunging ahead. "Would it be a safe assumption to make to believe that, possibly, they share some sort of link?"

"A link?" scoffed the hanyou.

"Not impossible," intoned Kikyou.

"It would make sense; the demoness couldn't possibly have intended for Sesshoumaru's youkai powers to end up with Kagome. Perhaps not all of it has transferred to her?"

"What basis has you to state that claim, monk?"

Miroku eyed Kikyou, not taking particular liking to the undertones in her seemingly harmless question. "It's just a speculation, Kikyou-san. Many instances have transpired that have yet to make sense. I am merely ruling out aspects of these events, as to limit the amount of surprise we will face when they return."

"You do not question that they will possibly not return?"

"I fully believe they will come back."

Kikyou alarmed them by actually guffawing. "Your hope is foolish."

"How could you say that, Kikyou?"

The miko slanted her gaze to her future husband. How could he so dense at times?

"Do you truly wish to know my thoughts, Inuyasha?" This was his chance to accept her taunt and ask, though he was silent, unable to articulate the proper words in his mind. The elder miko took his nonresponsive as a yes. "I believe Sesshoumaru-sama has already killed her, and that—"

"How could you say that?"

Shippou and Sango, who had been returning from their bath, froze in place. The air seemed to have lost its warmth; Miroku felt a chill slowly run down the length of his spine. Inuyasha was the pinnacle of rage, simmering beside the fire and emitting his own type of heat from bristling. Kikyou remained unaffected by the hanyou's display of anger; she seemed almost amused.

"Very easily," she replied smoothly, never taking her eyes off of his quivering form, which had begun to slowly relax. His eyes were obscured from view, though Sango would guarantee that they shined a bloodthirsty red.

Inuyasha abruptly stood and turned, briskly walking away into the woods, where he launched himself onto the nearest branch. A taut silence hung over the remaining, broken only by Shippou's soft keening, which he failed to hide.

The houshi settled himself beside his fiancée and coolly glanced at Kikyou, wondering what was going through her head, if anything at all. How she could be so distant when she knew that her future hung in the balance with Inuyasha? Did she truly not wish to fulfill the one thing both had been hoping for, for over fifty years?

Sango shifted in her place, alerting the houshi and priestess. Clearing her throat, the taijiya began, "I've been thinking a little, and... it's about the demoness reasoning for turning Sesshoumaru human." Now she had their full attention, though it hardly did anything to quash the nervous flutter in her stomach. "Maybe Sesshoumaru wronged her before? And the only way she thought she could make any revenge was through the Jewel. That would explain how she found Kagome."

"But what of the wish?" Kikyou was regarding her closely now. Sango felt unnerved.

"I was thinking of that, too... maybe she wished for something, and worded it wrong?"

"Or," Miroku supplied, "maybe she never got to complete her wish."

Another silent moment hung between them. Shippou spoke up, weary of the priestess who was now watching him, "Like... she was going to make a wish, but got cut off? So the Jewel thought it was her actual wish?"

"Precisely," Miroku affirmed.

"You sound quite sure of this notion as well." Kikyou broke in again.

"I am merely following less outrageous routes, and finding the one that proves feasible."

"Even if what you say is true; there still is no guarantee that Kagome is alive."

"Oh, there isn't?" challenged the monk, feeling emboldened by his pent-up hatred of the dead priestess. He had enough of her as it was lately, and the fact that she had sent even Inuyasha running with his tail between his legs did little to help reign in his amounting petulance. "I figure that if Kagome were killed by Sesshoumaru's hand, the power would not return to him; in fact, it would travel to the demoness who originally made the wish. I'm sure we would have heard of any activity by her hand if the case was true, Kikyou-san. Not to mention I am quite certain that her death would ripple through to this timeline and effect Inuyasha." And with a flourish he rose from his spot and brought Sango along, giving Shippou a beckoning glance before the trio left the fire and the miko who glared at them hatefully from narrowed eyes.

xXx

Inuyasha returned that night after sorting through his thoughts, which contained more of Sesshoumaru than he cared to have. Kikyou was among those thoughts, a dying brightness in his mind's eye. Would he ever accept that she was, in fact, just a replica of her old self? That many things had not been passed through to this life, things that Kagome's soul could not have held? Inuyasha didn't know; he was too malaise for any more deep, soul-searching thinking.

He found the camp-site in which he had left his friends, coming across only Kikyou, who appeared piqued and trembling with anger. Where had the others gone? Should he even ask what had transpired since he had taken off?

Suddenly, the hanyou felt ashamed and embarrassed in her presence; he had, after all, left quite rudely. It wasn't as if he'd said anything spiteful, though it was, in fact, the opposite of what had happened. He still could not wrap his head around how... unemotional she had been while stating in which state Kagome might be found in. Though he had time to think things through, and he had drawn upon the same conclusion as Miroku had in regards to Kagome's health. If she had died, he would have bet his entire life that the power would return to the demoness, and not Sesshoumaru. He would find out later that their stories corresponded, and that there must be some truth to it, but then he had to deal with Kikyou.

Perhaps he should confront the dispute they had when he returned. Kikyou might have a reason as to why she was so blunt about her opinions, maybe something neither of them had considered. Deep down the hanyou knew that he was trying to cover for her. He understood her resentment toward Kagome would probably never be resigned. This brought a swell of pain beneath his chest as he approached the elder miko.

"Hey," he muttered, sitting beside her, poking at the fire idly.

"Your friends have given me much to think about."

Inuyasha's ears flattened on his head. "They could be your friends, too." His eyes met hers, so dark, cold... void. How could someone be so bleak, so expressionless?

True, he had many troubles with making friends who actually cared about him, but Kikyou didn't even seem to be trying to make peace with Sango, Miroku, and Shippou. Kagome had been the deciding factor in his life, the one who opened up those doors to others that eventually he came around to accepting. Why couldn't Kikyou take the opportunity he was trying to give her?

Inuyasha felt his heart give a lurch in his chest. Was he rethinking his proposal? They were already half-way through it, to back out now... he swallowed uneasily, waiting for her reply.

Kikyou was also studying her soon-to-be mate. She deduced that something was troubling her hanyou, and she had a suspicion that it revolved around her. What on earth had upset him? "I do not wish for friends." She said, looking away from him. "I have you, and that is all I need."

Inuyasha squirmed, shocked and a little embarrassed by her outright claim. At least he knew what she thought of him, of them. "That's fine by me. What did they tell you?"

"The houshi believes that the demon responsible had made an unfinished wish."

"What?" he could not mask the surprise on his face. "You mean... that was an accident?"

Kikyou shrugged. "It appears as such. It would not make sense for the youkai to not make a selfish wish on herself."

"Yeah."

Inuyasha's mouth opened to finally ask what had been hanging in his mind for hours, when a sinister energy crossed overhead, causing his flesh to break out in goose bumps. Youki, he thought bitterly, standing to his full height and thumbing Tetsusaiga at his side. And not just any youki—it's Azara.

"Inuyasha." Kikyou gathered her bow and arrows and prepared to retrieve her companions, while the hanyou attempted to locate the source of the niggling energy in the air. They summoned their friends quickly, each of them rushing toward the outskirts of the village.

An influx of youki inundated their camping space, so pungent that it held them down with its power. Inuyasha wiped the grit off his hands and scanned the area, locating the source of the youki easily enough. The pillar of the shining manifestation was pretty difficult to miss, and within its pinnacle stood the demoness that they were searching for. Her hair, fiery and swirling in a deadly tempest, shrouded a partial amount of her face that was set in a snarl.

It took a moment for the gang to realize that her target was not them; they had been placed within the center of a battle. To their right a stout demon with an imp face charged at the demoness almost in frenzy. Her hand batted the inferior youkai deftly with a rush of her youki, hurtling its body to the other side of the clearing in one swipe.

Her gaze fixed upon the Jewel hunters. Her nose scented the air, picking up the trace of the hanyou who had pursued him some days ago while she battled with Sesshoumaru and the fumbling younger miko. Azara had not hoped to have another run in with him, but as it seemed she might require his assistance after all.

Her claws flexed experimentally at her side, testing the tell-tale power that lingered beneath her skin. She had been given a fraction of Sesshoumaru's awesome power when it had split and embodied the miko, and never had she felt anything quite like its raw fury. It was only a marginal amount, but it empowered her very being and granted her a new advantage. Now it was time to test this new power against someone who would not die easily enough. And why not have a bit of fun with it as well?

"What're you doing here?" brayed the hanyou, deftly removing his sword from its scabbard. He aimed the tip straight for Azara's head. The wind whipped around in his direction, casting down two semi-familiar scents. His nose twitched. "What're you doing with Rin and Jaken?"

Azara canted her head in amusement. "So you've finally noticed? Well, I figured that if Sesshoumaru were to return at all, I'd want to keep his wards as part of my plan. The kappa thought summoning a weak imp demon would hold me at bay, but they have no idea what has happened."

While Inuyasha continued to chew the demoness out, Sango and Miroku hustled around him and into the forest, following the scant trail of youki emanating from behind Azara, where she was undoubtedly holding Rin and Jaken hostage. Their movements ceased when they came upon Sesshoumaru's wards, encased in a strong barrier and comatose.

"I'll try to dispel the barrier, cover for me, Sango."

"Right."

Azara regarded Inuyasha intently. He was but a hanyou, though with her enhanced senses she could tell that brimming underneath of his human nature waited a beast much like Sesshoumaru's. How would she unleash this beast, though? Was there even a way? Waving his sword about on the ground, Inuyasha looked like a fool to Azara, who did not so much as flinch. She recognized the legends of the sword that brought down over a hundred demons in a single stroke. What did it matter, when she wielded a portion of his brother's destructive power, which had been able to stop Tetsusaiga in the past? There wasn't a chance that it would hurt her.

Gnashing his fangs together while trying to distract the demoness from Sango and Miroku's mission, the hanyou brandished Tetsusaiga threateningly, allowing his pent-up, turbulent emotions from days of thinking of Kagome's situation govern his mind and steer his movements. With a forward leap, he brought the sword high above his head with one hand and sent a massive lightning chain undulating toward Azara, arcing upwards into the sky.

Swiftly she avoided, parried with her battle axe, while channeling Sesshoumaru's coveted power into her core, up through the muscles and nerves in her arms to the pique of the blade. A stronger, more frenzied attack unleashed, seemingly faster than sound, that ripped chasms into the earth. Inuyasha dodged out of the way with much difficulty. As the earth sifted and slid, he struggled for purchase. A clawed hand caught a large rock, he pushed himself up, smelt the tingle of power coming from the demoness, pushed -

Kirara caught him by his kimono sleeve while launching into the air, narrowly escaping the bolt of power striking the spot Inuyasha had been not five seconds ago. The hanyou released a tense breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, his claws finding the fire-cat's coarse fur and stroking it.

"Thank you, Kirara," he said, gasping. The fire-cat growled in response whilst banking in the air sharply to the left and ploughing straight for the demoness.

Smelling the wind flowing and gyrating against his blade, Inuyasha found the vortex and struck. Azara, who had not anticipated the quick retaliation from the hanyou, brought the flat surface of her axe in front of her body as a shield, enduring the attack while summoning her youki to create a barrier to cushion the impact. Too late, her shield rose while traces of the Wind Scar bit through her skin and singed her hair, filling the atmosphere with the stench of charred hair and burnt flesh.

As flashing crimson, Azara intended to use the full litany of her powers.

Miroku stabbed, and stabbed, and stabbed, but the barrier refused to dwindle even a touch. Why isn't my staff working? he thought, chagrined as Sango tried not to show the worry through her hazel eyes.

"Is it not made of shouki?" the taijiya implored, eyes trained on the battle Inuyasha and her fire-cat were engaging in. Her brows drew together as her lips pursed, worry marring her features. If Kagome were here she could have easily defeated Azara with Sesshoumaru's power, Sango thought, finding that her chest ached in a queer way. If Kagome were still a priestess the barrier would've been dispelled, too. She wished her friend was battling beside them, not trapped in a foreign world, far out of their reach.

Miroku concentrated, honing in on his holy powers and channeling it at the top of his staff until it threatened to explode. He brought it down once more in hacking motion toward the barrier, barely grazing the surface, once more sending a small jolt of electric current through his nerves and muscles. Dammit, I can't break through!

"Houshi-san,"

Said houshi's head swiveled ninety degrees to find where the source of the detached greeting came from. Kikyou hovered at the tree line, appearing slightly perturbed, if he was guessing correctly. "Let me assist." She offered, gliding toward where he perched on the grass and to the barrier, where Rin and Jaken remained untouched and not bothered by the world.

Raising her pale hands before her, the sparkle of purity flickered and caught like a red flame. The moment her fingers probed the barrier it dissipated, falling around the victims like a curtain of evil energy. A sigh escaped both Miroku and Sango's lips; they moved into action, retrieving the kappa and child to bring them to a safe location.

Kikyou rose regally from her spot, interested to discover that her agitation had yet to abate. She'd been closely monitoring Azara from afar as Inuyasha battled, wondering when she would reveal the Shikon no Tama as expected. To Kikyou's confusion she did not possess it, which lead the undead priestess to ponder where, exactly, it could be.

As Kikyou had made her way toward the demon slayer and monk, a thought occurred to her; Azara could very well have been bargaining for the Jewel in the first place, taking hostage Sesshoumaru's retainers in exchange, only to be distracted of her purpose of Inuyasha. Perhaps the demoness believed it to be in their possession. She made the decision to wait until the fight subsided long enough to interrogate the demoness of her intentions, and confirm her suspicions.

What a surprise Azara will be in when she realizes the Shikon no Tama is not in our hands, she thought, stepping out of the forest and into the clearing, where she noticed Sango and Miroku fighting alongside Inuyasha as they overwhelmed Azara. She had to put a stop to this and find out what the demoness knew before they drove her off.

Sango had instructed Kirara to watch over Sesshoumaru's wards as she rejoined the fight with Inuyasha, Miroku shortly behind. Inuyasha seemed to be the only one able to inflict a measured amount of damage upon the demoness compared to the rest of them, but their combined strength aided in Azara's defeat as she had to keep tabs on not one, but three adversaries.

Sango's Hiraikotsu swung out of her hand and flew through the air, clipping Azara's shoulder and sending her plummeting down to the earth, where the Wind Scar swallowed a partial amount of her lower body, singing her flesh down through the muscle tissue. A strangled cry escaped her throat.

"I'm gonna give the final blow!" roared Inuyasha, prepping Tetsusaiga behind him for another lightning attack. His feet dug into the soft earth, anchoring, his shoulder muscles bunching as he raised his sword high in the air. The smell of the clashing winds reached his nostrils and that was all the readying he needed; a powerful bellow from his diaphragm pierced the air, but was prematurely stopped when his golden eyes caught sight of Kikyou standing before Azara's supine body. He fumbled to redirect his attack, narrowly missing the two women as it barrelled past them and desecrating the forest behind them.

Inuyasha's tongue felt like lead. "K-Kik...you?"

"Enough, Inuyasha." The priestess ordered.

The silence was deafening. Why? Inuyasha queried. Why was Kikyou halting their battle? Didn't she realize that Azara was an enemy needed to be eliminated?

Sango's eyes slanted toward her hanyou companion. If he decided to warrant Kikyou's attention there was a possibility the demoness could escape. What were her motives? Swivelling her head she caught Miroku's steady gaze already locked onto hers, telepathically allowing her to know he was curious, too. The demon slayer and monk lowered their weapons, giving Inuyasha the benefit of the doubt.

Kikyou spoke. "Do not be brash and mete out the problem," she allayed, hinting at Azara. "She does not possess the Jewel. As well, you may harm Kagome."

Why the sudden concern? Miroku wished to ask, though he developed a sudden case of cotton-mouth.

"You don't have it?" cried Azara, struggling to remain upright despite the severe burns all through her lower body.

"No," Kikyou stared blandly at her.

Azara moaned. "Then-where?"

Kikyou approached her future mate with almost smug amusement, which he observed carefully. "Let her go. Her wounds are severe enough that she should not trouble us for a time. Now is not the time to eliminate her."

Bristling, Inuyasha re-sheathed Tetsusaiga, baring his fangs toward his enemy. "We can't just let her go!"

"What do you propose, then, Inuyasha? Should we truss her up and keep her captive?"

"M-maybe!" he barked, finding his argument crumbling beneath his feet.

Miroku stepped up beside them. "She has a point-keeping her with us would prove risky. Allowing her to flee so that we may convene and think of other options is more important." He turned to Azara. "We will allow you this pardon, only once." And like a green mist, Azara dissolved and faded into the air, taking her vile energy with her.

Like a tightly coiled rope, the cord snapped and recoiled through the group, causing their anxious emotions to turn tumultuous.

"Fuck!" raged Inuyasha, stabbing his talons into the palms of his hands until blood was drawn, where he violently lashed out to turn his Iron-revear Soul Stealer attack into crimson half-moon blades. The effect skimmed the tops of several trees in the forest, and several more, as he continued his outrageous assault, decimating the forest.

Miroku's heart leapt in his throat as his eyes wantonly searched for the priestess. Kikyou stood passively to the side, watching with neither a look of intrigue or worry, at her distressed hanyou. This was also noted by the demon slayer, who fought to find her voice and confront the undead miko so that she may intercede their friend's violent actions.

It was Miroku who found himself first. Approaching the miko with both confidence and a slight smidgen of fear (to which he was resigned to admit) he began talking. "He's just going to keep going-you should seek him out and control him before he hurts more than just the forestry and wildlife." His tongue felt like a leaden weight in his mouth; his hands were clammy, his muscles twitching. Why was it such a huge deal to talk to Kikyou this way?

Dead, opaque eyes slowly shifted his way, and he found himself oddly trapped in their void, only to shake off the intensity in less than a second later. "I do not control him, and neither he controls me. If he wishes to use his anger in this destructive manner, it is none of my consequence."

"You're disgusting," whispered the monk so that only he could hear. This time his voice was easily carried on the stirring winds. "You can't just let Inuyasha rage like this. It's detrimental to his health. If Kagome was—"

"If she what?" snapped the undead priestess, unleashing the full litany of her emotionless glare unto the monk. "If Kagome was here she'd cajole him, coddle him, and thus make a thicker layer of weakness.

"Demons are different than humans. Giving him the same treatment will have wayward consequences. The best way for him to cope is to let him do as comes naturally of his heritage."

Sango stepped up beside her fiancée, not oblivious to the noises of thunder that was caused by Inuyasha's anger. "You can't just do nothing," she reasoned through gritted teeth. "Come on, Miroku,_ we'll_ go knock sense into him."

"I'd advise otherwise." She hummed into the wind, which ultimately fell on deaf ears as Miroku and Sango sprang into action to aid their troubled friend.

* * *

><p><em>Just remember—he's more afraid of me than I am of him.<em>

Thought absolutely no one ever when faced with the reality of having to battle Sesshoumaru, the Prince of the Western Lands, the most powerful demon in all of Sengoku Jidai. Kagome could hardly believe her stroke of misfortune.

Her day had begun discovering that the hot water to her lovely morning shower had run out due to its previous occupant, Sesshoumaru, who indulgently spent over twenty minutes doing Kagome only knew what. All in all, that hadn't been too bad.

Getting to school late was another problem—resorting to flying high above the streets of Tokyo with Sesshoumaru in tow was simply humiliating. What assuaged Kagome's worry about being in the air during the daylight was the notion that humans rarely ever tended to look above these days, having no desire to see any higher than the top of their heads. Kagome knew for a fact the same principles did not apply in the Sengoku Jidai, as most things that flew in that era were blood-sucking demons. So she thanked humanity's ignorance, just this once.

Kagome had found a hair in her apple pie that afternoon. Her hopes for the rest of the day to be unproblematic plummeted steeply.

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi pestered her more about the festival and her impending date with the demon lord also; the fire brimming beneath Kagome's skin festered and grew, seemingly in response to her ever-growing stress levels. It took a considerable length of time to finally shove those worries away after getting harassed, though the feeling would be short lived.

To add injury to insult, her kendo class demanded to be tested. They had been in the practice of basic katas along with the same five attack postures and defense postures for weeks, which fuelled the students' frustration over the repetitiveness. They wanted an actual challenge, a test—not every teenager willingly requested for a test, and Kagome thought them all nuts. Who would want to spar against Sesshoumaru?

But here she was, standing uneasily in the short line of her peers who stepped up to the demon lord, trying to convince him that their skills were far superior than the others, only to land square on their rump not moments later. Her hands trembled as they wrung themselves until her knuckles cracked.

Hoishimaru had just been knocked out of the sparring square and almost into the wooden bleachers, nearly taking out some of the other students. Sesshoumaru poised regally in the middle of the sparring square, bamboo sword casually resting on the crest of his hip with an expression of smugness—or as close as he could get to looking smug.

He had not refused them this test. Oddly enough, seemed encouraging of it, that tipped Kagome off that he was planning something. As to what that something was she'd never fully be sure until their test was over, though she continued to be wary and observing of his behaviour from henceforth.

Another suicidal contestant stepped up to the plate, boldly ending the bow that should have lasted until the kendo instructor rose first. Sesshoumaru's eyes slanted narrowly into tiny slits, worrying Kagome who noticed the slight shift in his scent that meant he was certainly not impressed, and would not deem himself satisfied until the problem was quashed. She felt sorry for the student.

Unfortunately for the student, who the miko recalled to be Yaganami, he would learn very quickly not to cross Sesshoumaru.

"I'll prove that I'm much stronger!" cried Yaganami, brandishing his sword in what he thought to be intimidating.

The demon prince barely batted an eyelash. He'd heard the same dumb thing uttered from the majority of his students so far, and it displeased him to see that neither had grasped the first lesson he had taught. Sesshoumaru did not like it when he was displeased; in fact, he enjoyed being pleased. Under normal circumstances he fashioned his life around things that pleased him, and eliminated things that did not. If he were nothing but a man who kept his honour and dealt punishment to those who opposed and/or disrespected him, he would have turned tail and left the hopeless pupils of his long ago.

Inuyasha was the perfect example when Sesshoumaru thought of disappointment. His little brother sullied their father's impressive reputation, which in turn soiled the demon prince's status. He would ensure, if he were to stay longer in this time as planned, that none of these students would grow to disrespect their family's honour in such a way.

Yaganami was flat on his back in less than ten seconds, staggering first to the perimeter of the square, only to lose his balance and crumple to the ground, clutching in agony at his abdomen. Sesshoumaru had been swift and merciful; dealing only a quick and true strike to the boy's stomach, he effectively dispatched of his arrogance without dealing severe damage.

His burnished brown eyes, set alight with the notion of a challenge when spotting Kagome, the last in his line of students, worrying the hem of her clothes in her talons and glancing everywhere but at himself. She witnessed as Yaganami was escorted to the nurse, though she felt a strange sense of detachment toward it. Challenging Sesshoumaru openly had its consequences, and if anyone understood more of the actual gravity he possessed when in battle, it was Kagome.

Swallowing a thick lump in her throat, she accepted her light armour and bamboo sword, entering the arena with an unsteady gait. All of her peers entered, and none of them had been victorious in passing his test. All that was required was that they demonstrated the basic skills of kendo through a small fight with their instructor, though that had quickly been misconstrued as a popularity and strength contest. She would not rise to that behaviour; in all honesty, she wanted nothing more than to not fight him.

Her hands wrung the material of her fake sword. Sesshoumaru was looking at her like a cat would a mouse, which unnerved her. She had fought him before in the courtyard of her home; they had trained together, so she knew that he was as good as his reputation, though it still struck her as wrong.

Each time, through and through, he knew she was progressing and learning. Why did she have to fight him? It made no sense. Though everyone else had done it, she would look wimpy if she simply brushed it off.

When he spoke, she visibly started, eyes finding his. "Are you prepared?"

"I don't want to fight," the words left her mouth before she could reconsider them. Damn, she sounded like a pansy!

His head tilt caused a small amount of his hair to fall across his brow. "Why not?" he queried, honestly curious. This miko continued to surprise him.

"Because I'm not ready!" she said sternly, glad that her voice was steady and sure despite her being unresolved.

Sesshoumaru somewhat failed to grasp her understanding. She clearly understood her basic kendo principles and had even used them against him in countless practices, why was she deciding now that she was not prepared for such a test? The others clearly deemed themselves far past the point of what he had taught, why hadn't she fallen for that deception?

"You are not ready?" he echoed, finding that his lips upturned at the corners slightly. He was amused. Which certainly felt better than being displeased. "Why will you not fight me, Kagome-san?" he questioned, attempting to convey as much curiosity through his stare as possible.

The miko fumbled and lowered her sword, eyes downcast in embarrassment. "I know I've learnt the basics," she said. "But I'm not ready to be tested, because there's still so much more to know than what we've been taught already. I... I sort of think that it was unprecedented." She mostly whispered the last part to him, though the rest of her statement had been heard.

The demon and the miko held each other's gaze for a beat, before Sesshoumaru spoke again. "What is it you're trying to tell me exactly?" he coerced softly, hoping to emit the answer he hoped she'd give him.

Her shoulders slumped, her topaz eyes downcast. "I can't fight you. I won't win. I'm not ready."

And that was it; Sesshoumaru shrugged out of his armour and placed his sword in the rack, gesturing for everyone to meet in a group before the bleachers. Kagome huddled close to the back, embarrassed to have the eyes of her peers on her as she knew what she'd see there—bewilderment, confusion, maybe even a bit of revulsion because she had refused to fight, because she was cowardly, because no matter how many times she tried she could never save her friends on her own—

Sesshoumaru's voice broke through the cacophony of voices, silencing them instantly. Each student was geared up to know whether or not they had passed the test, so the next few words had one or two kneeling from the enormity.

"You have all failed."

Kagome felt his words like ice running down her spine.

"All except one of you,"

Which did not fail to make the group gasp, and Kagome to look expectantly within the taiyoukai's mischievous eyes. What was he doing?

"Only one has managed to remember my lessons. Higurashi Kagome," she took an enormous breath of air, releasing it fully when he continued, "you have passed."


	15. Beautiful Disaster

A/N:** I'm soooooo sorry about the epic delay! I have tried to contact my beta, but for some reason she has not been replying to my messages. **

**I am leaving soon again for another army training course, and I at least want to bring this chapter out before I go. I apologize in advance for any errors, but I did go over it a few times to ensure it's decent to be posted. Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts, as I still have more in store for these two! And I'm not going to quit on this story! It might just take a while, but I appreciate all of your attentions and your faithfulness to this story!**

xXx

Human Like Me

Beautiful Disaster

_"You have passed."_

"Wait—I... passed?"

There was a hushed silence within the gymnasium, and her heart thundered loudly within her chest, so all she could hear was her blood thumping in her ears. Maybe she was dreaming? Maybe Sesshoumaru was broken, or an imposter? There wasn't even a small chance that Higurashi Kagome had actually been the only one to pass the impossible taiyoukai's test. How was that even achievable?

Sesshoumaru levelly gazed at her. "This is correct."

"But—but why?" sputtered the miko. "I thought we agreed you weren't allowed to tell jokes anymore!"

The elder male drew closer to her, though the crowd in turn also boxed her in. Why, oh why did she just have to go and pass his test without meaning to? She'd prefer to have failed instead of having leering eyes on her. Eri, ever the defensive friend, stood beside Kagome and clutched her arm comfortingly.

"I'm sure Higurashi-sensei has a valid reason, and I'm sure it's just something we've all forgotten to do." She cast a furtive glance around the room. "One that Kagome was able to remember."

"You are correct, Basumi-san." Sesshoumaru supplied, pinning Kagome with his gaze. "What was the first rule I told to all of you?"

When only silence answered him, Sesshoumaru turned to the flushing miko. "Higurashi-san?"

She swallowed thickly, worrying the hem of her gym clothes with her sharp claws. "Never accept a challenge you can't win," she answered meekly.

Her thoughts strayed to a certain hanyou who had not yet grasped that concept, and wondered if that was what Sesshoumaru was also thinking about.

"Precisely. All of you are dismissed. There will be no re-test."

The crowd strode out of the room with an air of indignation that stung Kagome's nose. It wasn't her fault that she accidentally remembered to use one of the rules! She shouldn't be isolated for that! All she had wanted to do was avoid fighting him in fear of humiliating herself. Furious, the miko began to stomp off toward the locker rooms, only to be stopped by the last person she wanted to see.

"Thanks for giving me enemies," she hissed, motioning to swerve around him, though he blocked her path. "Ugh! What do you want?"

"An explanation,"

"For what?"

"Why you are infuriated about succeeding," he answered levelly.

Kagome almost dropped her tirade. Oh, but wait, she was actually still angry. "Because I know you just passed me because I'm more favourable. I have your almighty god-like powers, so you thought it would be appropriate to pass me because of it." She hoped that her lie was convincing enough; somehow, admitting to the Lord of the Western Lands that she actually learned something from him seemed incomprehensible.

Sesshoumaru actually snorted. His dark arresting eyes penalized her, seemingly searching straight through the mask she wore and seeing through to her soul. "You are wrong. I see more than just the physical skill within you; you are a strategist, as like myself, and you used it in your favour. You know very well that it is not time for you to be measuring your skills against me, so you sought forfeit, when others did not see the error in wanting my test."

_Though all I've known you to be is headstrong, clueless. All you've ever done is recklessly throw yourself into dangerous situations. Somehow... you have seen past this today._

Kagome balked. "Oh," she murmured. "But... to be fair, you were the one that assigned the test."

Sesshoumaru did not waver. "As I recall, I assigned the test because my students saw they were prepared for it. You are the only student to see that you were not."

"But that was after I initially accepted. Technically, wouldn't it only count if I had submitted straight away?"

He shook his head. "Still, you found error in your judgement, and corrected that mistake. True, in a real situation, you would have been killed. This is but a test, not yet the imminent battle, so for that you have a loophole."

Kagome felt her shoulders slump from exhaustion; she hadn't realized just how tense she'd been while conversing with the demon lord. She understood that before coming to the future with Sesshoumaru that more often than not she would deliberately put herself in danger, in the meagre hopes she could contribute to the battle. So why understand now that she could simply say no to the challenge? What enlightened her to realize that she was not yet ready?

The miko brushed aside those thoughts for now. "Well, that's great and all," she placated, inching away slowly, "but I'm going to wash up before next class." To her relief, Eri caught up with her.

_She listened. And respected my lessons. Perhaps there is a shred of hope for this miko._

Just as the two girls were about to leave, Sesshoumaru spoke to Kagome. They were soft, yet held power, demanding attention. He hoped he wouldn't regret this decision. "I accept."

At first, Kagome didn't understand the significance of his words. Realization hit and she whirled around, facing the taiyoukai with a mixture of wonder and shock on her countenance. "You... you do?" she timidly asked.

He gave one nod of his head and made his way out of the gym. As Eri embraced her friend, Kagome fanned herself from being caught unprepared, and Sesshoumaru strolled away with a soft smirk on his lips.

xXx

"Oh, he accepted!" cheered Ayumi and Yuka loudly, startling the other classmates. Kagome quickly became the recipient of three bone-crushing hugs.

"Yeah, he did..." Kagome said as she shook off her friends. "I still can't believe he said yes, though." Admitted Kagome sheepishly, not completely letting herself believe that the ever immaculate taiyoukai had agreed to join her at the winter festival. It did strange things to her insides, and made her head feel fuzzy. Was this still symptoms of shock, or something else?

"So," popped in Eri, poking Kagome in the arm. "Have you found a dress to wear yet? Are you two going to match? Oh, will he buy you a corsage?"

"One question at a time, please." Kagome slouched in her chair. "I don't have a dress yet. I... guess we can wear matching colours... and honestly, he doesn't need to. Not that he'd know what it was." She mumbled that last part.

"You don't have a dress?" screeched the trio. Kagome covered her sensitive ears.

"Well, it's not exactly as if I was counting on him saying yes."

"You mean you thought he'd deny you?" Ayumi snorted.

Kagome slumped even further in her seat. "Well, yes. I mean, why would he even accept my offer, anyways? It's not like I mean anything to him..."

"I'll tell you something right now," piped up Eri, who had determination and spark in her dark eyes. "This guy isn't like your stupid boyfriend, Inuyasha. He's different! Of course he'd accept your offer."

Kagome blanched. "They're not even that different. Both are arrogant, stubborn, obnoxious, conceited, have better hair than me..." again, she mumbled the last part, finding a hint of indignation of the unfairness.

Ayumi shook her head. "That's just it; they're so different. I don't know how you can't see it, Kagome. I mean, if you compare Higurashi-san to Inuyasha, they're so polar opposites."

"Yeah," Yuka said. "Higurashi-san knows who he is, calculated, a seasoned fighter, and he's very acute. Inuyasha sounds like he's got a lot of growing up to do, is too hasty, and plus sounds obtuse. Need I say more?"

"That's not it," muttered Kagome, at a loss as to what to say. Her friends did have a point, but could she really dismiss Inuyasha off that easily, and instead focus on the taiyoukai who had gotten mixed up in her life by a mere fluke? It wasn't fair, she thought. To discard her feelings for the hanyou so effortlessly would be as if she erased every memory they had shared for the last couple of years. Sesshoumaru wasn't so important that he'd supersede her friends. "They've both got flaws."

"Oh yeah? Name one for Higurashi-san." Challenged Ayumi, who personally considered Sesshoumaru to be the perfect specimen of the human species.

"He's too conceited, arrogant. He thinks himself far superior to everyone else, based on his... ah, credentials. I haven't exactly gathered evidence on whether he's a misogynist or not... I don't think that is a great quality to have, by the way."

"But if that's the only thing wrong, then go for him." Eri winked encouragingly. "When are you ever going to get another one of him?"

"He doesn't even like me!" moaned the miko, nuzzling her head into the crook of her folded arms.

"How many times must we say this!" the trio chorused together. "He does like you!"

"Yeah," said Kagome petulantly, "he's got an awful round-about way of showing it."

"That's just what it is, Kagome," Yuka said. "Men are simplistic in their emotions. And driven by their primal sides more than females."

_You could say that again_, Kagome thought.

"So when he does some sort of an action that doesn't make any sense, you can't read too much into it. You have to take it at face value, because that is the whole of what they're trying to get across to you." Yuka continued.

So almost poisoning me to death, almost impaling me, and may have or may have not saved me that one time from the poison master Mokutsu was him saying he likes me? The miko suffered a long sigh. They really have no clue what kind of person he is...

"That's nice and all, but I disagree." Kagome stood from her friends' table and made her way to a private one, tuning them all out.

xXx

Snow. Kagome could remember countless times where it either blanketed her in comfort, or severed the feelings from her heart like blood to her limbs. Tonight she wasn't quite sure what she felt like, and it unnerved her. Shouldn't she be feeling giddy, excited?

Rising from her stool in front of her large vanity mirror, the soft velvet material of her rich emerald dress brushed against her legs and pooled at her feet. Her mother managed to find her a North American styled dress online that accentuated the abnormalities of her appearance. The dark green made her golden eyes radiate, and her white hair appear ethereal, otherworldly. The dress revealed much of her creamy skin at her chest, exposing a small amount of cleavage, and created a V at the back, showing her prominent shoulder blades.

Kagome did not use any makeup, as the coral markings already smoothed across the top of her eyelids were not removable, and she felt as if she'd keep at least one youkai signature when she covered the rest up. She knew it wouldn't be fair to Sesshoumaru to keep snubbing his family markings for no reason.

The snow outside continued to steadily drift to the ground, creating a soft cushion on the ground, and dotting tree branches. Kagome found it hard to look away from the beauty. The one night it decides to snow in Tokyo is the night where she was to attend the festival with, oh, that's right, Sesshoumaru, the Prince of the Western lands, Mr. Cold, as her date. How, exactly, did Kagome manage to end up in situations such as these?

From long time enemy, to a hesitant sense of camaraderie, to almost partners against Naraku, and now... this?

The whole prospect was absurd, but here she was, waiting until she steeled her resolve and headed downstairs to where he waited, and the only thing she continued to fret about was how he would look at her. Not that she wanted to look good for him. A person tended to get a little self-conscious when forced to wear the guise of a taiyoukai whom they were not, that included freakishly long nails, oddly coloured hair, and alien coloured eyes.

Still, it was a mystery as to what he might look like. Kagome sighed, headed to the door.

Descending the stairs in heels she thought impractically high (how could they not be when traipsing within Feudal Japan was your hobby?), Kagome spotted first her mother poised with a digital camera, who snapped a photo while Kagome was struggling to remain natural, and her brother, leaning against the wall with a guarded expression. She knew it was to maintain his new aloof nature, but his eyes and scent portrayed his awe toward his older sister.

Grandpa Higurashi was next in her line of view, snuffling with a tissue in his wasted hands. He dropped praises her way when she embraced him. "You look great, my granddaughter. Taiyoukai or not." He offered her a gapy grin.

Kagome returned the smile and stepped away from her grandfather, catching a figure in her periphery. Expecting it to be her little brother, Kagome turned quickly, only to have her breath shoved out of her lungs.

Sesshoumaru stood in the threshold of the living room door, his long dark tresses of hair smoothed back and tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, with his bangs shading his eyes from her. Dressed in what she thought to be a tailoured black tuxedo, he wore a dark green tie and identical boutonniere. He held a box in his hand, and wore a stony face. Kagome wasn't sure if she should feel butterflies in her stomach or acrimony toward his indifferent attitude.

"This is for you," he proffered the box, and as her hands took the small package something coursed through her body, almost like an electrical current just gentle enough to tickle.

The smell of strawberries and a pinch of lemon entered her nostrils as his scent from his hand subsumed her personal space. What did strawberries and lemons mean? Kagome wondered as she began dissecting the box, barely hiding a small gasp of surprise upon discovering the tiny, brightly green coloured rose within the box. Along some of the petals glittered tiny delicate rhinestones, as well, the bracelet was made completely of rhinestones. Did his gift mean something?

Sesshoumaru bit the inside of his cheeks. What he would give to have his superior sense of smell at that moment to determine the mood the miko was in. Her face was a blank mask, which irritated him beyond belief. Was she happy about her gift? It was only due to Mrs. Higurashi's insight upon the miko's modern day traditional festivals did he have the idea to purchase such an accessory, as well as the colour of the item. Why couldn't Kagome portray her emotions physically for him, when every other instance he'd known the woman she was very open about her feelings. What caused her to shut him out? How come he felt so perturbed at being in the dark?

Kagome quickly attached the corsage onto her left wrist, covering some of the magenta stripes that had been exposed despite the makeup. It accentuated her dress exquisitely; Sesshoumaru found his challenge laid with his eyes remaining fixated upon her face.

"It's beautiful," said Kagome, noting with a bit of amusement at the way the taiyoukai was eyeing her. His gaze wrenched away from her the moment she spoke, however, nodding his head in response. He didn't trust his tongue, strangely.

Mrs. Higurashi stepped in between the two. "I'll drive you guys there."

Kagome fleetingly looked at Sesshoumaru before nodding her head. "Thanks, mom."

xXx

The strobe lights in the propinquity of the room dazed the taiyoukai slightly as he and Kagome entered onto the dance floor. Having had their jackets already taken and provided with a cool beverage, Kagome began the process of sorting through the massive amounts of people for her friends. Conveniently enough for her, her youkai heightened sense of smell aided her quite nicely in locating her three amigos; the miko practically ripped her way through the crowd in haste, Sesshoumaru in tow.

Gyrating masses of bodies surrounded them, drunk and tipsy teenagers bellowing and laughing vivaciously as they danced the night away. Sesshoumaru decided that he definitely loathed humans. Their stench was cloying to his senses and the sounds of their obnoxious cat-calling and yelling harmed his ears. How Kagome could have lived her life amongst this rowdy species was puzzling, he thought as they approached three females he recognized as her friends, one of which he also recognized to be in his kendo class.

Sesshoumaru was always curious as to why women seemed to have their own greeting call to each other that consisted of gasps and awes. A simple "hello?" couldn't do? Stifling his growing discomfort, the foursome of girls flocked to each other as they raved over the garments they wore.

He heard none of it, spectating the party in a sort of detached manner as to absorb all of the details, whilst getting too focused on one aspect. As in any uncomfortable situation, Sesshoumaru devised a plan to quickly escape. He'd just be out of the throng of humans, far enough away that he could still observe Kagome; after all, even with his power her human instincts would override the primal side long enough for her to be perpetually distracted all night.

As he bypassed many bodies he had (unfortunately) had to make contact with, he spotted one face that spiked a brief memory. Deciding to embark on this, the demon lord swerved in and around the crowd until he was face to face with said recognizable face. The young boy had thick, petered brown hair and brown eyes, along with a goofy smile which seemed permanently etched onto his face. Cognitive memory recall put a name to the face for Sesshoumaru.

"Hojo-san," said the demon lord tonelessly, curiosity building as he noted the boy's eyes were constantly roaming about.

"Hai, Higurashi-san," responded Hojo quickly, his body language suggesting he was opting to remove himself from the inuyoukai's presence. "Nice seeing you again."

"Hn. Tell me, where are you off to?"

Hojo stiffened only a second. "Off to mingle, I suppose. You're a chaperone here, correct:? Shouldn't you be watching the others instead of focusing on me?"

Hojo's general tone displeased Sesshoumaru, mainly because his past experience with the youth pegged him as the perpetual glibly young man with an immense amount of politeness. How Sesshoumaru was even able to recall all of those insignificant details was lost as Hojo began to slither away from him. Something was rubbing the inuyoukai the wrong way.

Sesshoumaru and Hojo said nothing as they moved their way through the crowd. Upon seeing the young miko's glowing countenance amongst her friends as they danced gaily together tipped the demon lord off.

"Oh, Hojo!" said Kagome, approaching the youth, oblivious to the pensive step to smoothly block the two from getting closer. Kagome caught this but attempted to push through anyway. "Are you here with anyone?" she directed this question at Hojo.

"Oh, no one," answered Hojo. "Hey, do you want to step outside a moment?" His brilliant smile—the smile Sesshoumaru suspected to be fake—returned, dazzling the miko despite her platonic feelings toward Hojo.

"Yeah, no problem." She hiked up her long skirt and stepped off with the youth. Sesshoumaru quickly impeded her departure. "What?" she snapped.

"Let me go with you."

"Why?"

Sesshoumaru hesitated. Wait. Sesshoumaru never hesitated. Kagome picked up on this quickly, asking herself what might lead the Oh Great Inuyoukai to halt. "Sesshoumaru?" she whispered close to his ear, finding that the small chills brought on by their proximity to be unerringly annoying. "What's the matter?"

"I think he's dangerous." He deadpanned.

Kagome blinked, leaned away from him. She proceeded to guffaw loudly, giving him a look of incredibility. "Him? Hojo? No, you've got it all wrong. He's a perfect gentleman, not a threat." She said this in a low tone.

Sesshoumaru would've given almost anything to possess his greatness, his sense of smell, his objective perceptibility, everything—as it was, he was bereft of these essentials, which were entrusted to one ignorant little miko.

"I have a feeling," he supplied. "You need to be more perceptive."

"Of Hojo? Again, Sesshoumaru, the jealousy is flattering. However—"

"I am not jealous!" he hissed, opting to appear intimidating. If he could display his prowess, her instincts would hopefully override her stupid human senses and listen to him. As it was, she turned out to be exceedingly stubborn.

"I'm going out with Hojo, and now I'm rude because I'm making him wait while I bicker about something so stupid! See you when I get in," with a huff for effect, Kagome glided to where the youth awkwardly stood, looping her arm through his as they exited out on the back courtyard.

The blood—his human blood—simmered and boiled within his veins as he fought to control and compartmentalize his thoughts. Maybe he had been jumping to conclusions due to his lack of insight. He halted his thoughts. No, Sesshoumaru didn't jump to conclusions. His instincts were always correct, however dull they were now. So if he assumed this Hojo person was a threat to Kagome, he'd eradicate this threat quickly.

Yes, because Sesshoumaru never needed a reason to do as he pleased, so he wasn't about to start rummaging around for one now.

"I'm sorry about Sesshoumaru," said Kagome lowly, noting how pensive Hojo had gotten since conversing with the taiyoukai.

His easy smile was back again, though Kagome picked up on something false about it. His words snapped her out of exploring further. "Yeah, he's definitely intimidating." In a gesture Kagome once thought would have been due to true awkwardness, Hojo began scratching the back of his head, his eyes never leaving the backdrop behind her. "So... I was wondering if... that maybe you'd want... to... dance?"

Hojo took her clawed hand. Something akin to an electric shock coursed through her fingers and up her arm, startling her. The youth continued on as if oblivious, wrapping an arm around her waist while holding their connected hands above their shoulders, wedging their bodies closely together.

"H-Hojo," gasped Kagome, afraid to use her words. What had gotten into him to be so confident? Once more, the shadows at the edge of her mind warned her of something, but of what?

They danced in a slow modern waltz. The miko could not help but feel as if something were amiss, and she needed to really rejoin her taiyoukai companion back inside. Slowly, she disengaged their contact, avoiding his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I really should be heading back inside." The miko hastily apologized, not giving Hojo a chance to reply before she hurried off. She made it inside of the dance hall, only to be met with said demon lord she'd been thinking of. His dark eyes assessed her, scorched through her own citrine eyes minutely before his mouth began to function once more.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

Sesshoumaru appeared on the brink of actually fracturing his well preserved apathetic expression. "Did he attack you?"

Kagome blinked, startled before she became indignant. "No, because it's Hojo, who would never attack me!" she hissed fiercely, all the while moving their conversation back to the middle of the dance floor where they rejoined Kagome's group of friends. "We just danced for like a minute, but it was really awkward so I left, okay?"

Kagome hoped she portrayed enough sternness in her voice to convince him to drop it. Sure she'd had a small, niggling sense that Hojo wasn't acting himself. Maybe he'd been drinking? But that wouldn't explain the fact that his breath didn't contain any sort of alcohol at all. Kagome told herself that if she wouldn't drop it herself, how did she expect Sesshoumaru to? Her eyes tried to convey her perturbation toward the demon lord.

"I will concede this argument, just this once," said the taiyoukai reverently, returning to his normal, detached self.

Kagome was about to thank him for relenting so easily when one of her friends—Yuka, she noticed—pushed her way toward them with a smile on her face. It was then that the miko noticed the genre of music playing, and groaned. "Listen, Yuka, I'm not sure if he'll—"

"What're you talking about?" Yuka demanded, flouncing to her side while placing two hands on Kagome's shoulders. "You two need to dance at least once!"

A hue of pink painted the miko's cheeks at the implications. Being close to him, breathing in his scent... all of those aspects of him amplified due to her unusual condition of being an inuyoukai, all bombarding her simultaneously as she would have to remember how to dance. Her stomach churned.

"No, I don't think it's needed," said Kagome, flustered, refusing to look up at the demon lord in fear he'd be enraged at the suggestion. "Especially since—"

Her sentence cut off, Kagome numbly noted that a hand, much larger than the ones before, took hold and captured her other hand. Topaz eyes clashed with arresting black, "What?" Kagome squeaked, cursing herself for being caught so flabbergasted.

"The girl is correct in one thing," said Sesshoumaru levelly. "We should at least engage in the customs of bringing along an escort to such a festivity at least once."

Since when was he so traditional? Kagome questioned herself. Mentally, she slapped herself; of course he'd be nothing but traditional, since back in his era things weren't so gray in the form of bringing a date to an event such as this. It would be expected that they'd share a dance, if even once, and the prospect of him even considering to honour that with her did funny things to her insides.

The song's melodic notes hung poignantly in the air as couples everywhere danced, and irrationally Kagome was making herself believe she and Sesshoumaru were in the center of it all. Though the feel of his hands, the effortless way he guided her in movements foreign to her, brought back from centuries ago, made the moment she was slowly encasing herself in feel that much more surreal. She wasn't entirely sure if the way he avoided her eyes was customary of the dance—perhaps it was too intimate for that era?—though she was entirely confident that it wasn't necessarily to play with their connected fingers in an almost soothing way.

Enraptured by the lyrics which sung of finding a way to break through the other's past, Kagome found she was already lost in his presence, in his scent, in his touch that it slightly scared her. When had these thoughts of him blossomed, and why hadn't she noticed until now? Had it always been this way? Sure, she'd tried to explore where she stood on an emotional scale with the taiyoukai, but she'd never been close to discovering something such as this—attraction. Was it the mood, the dark lights, the proximity, which stirred this into fruition?

Maybe she'd never have a chance to fully understand, for the primal instincts which she tried to keep shoved into the recesses of her mind stirred and lay siege to her senses. She could suddenly smell it, taste it, feel it lurking within the crowd. Starting, Kagome jumped away from her contact with Sesshoumaru and focused on what she was picking up on. Sesshoumaru seemed to sense this right away.

"Where?" he inquired, whispered so only she could hear.

Kagome gave one subtle sniff of the air and pointed toward the doors that lead out into the foyer. "There,"

The blood thundering in her ears due to the adrenaline rush only spurred her on further, nearly sailing past each of the partyers and losing Sesshoumaru within the crowd in the process. She could feel it, deep within her core, the same feeling and warning that Hojo had elicited within her, now only much more prominent. Did this mean the youkai was closing in on her friend, and was simply observing him earlier? Somehow, dwelling on the other alternative possibility was too much for the miko.

Dutifully Sesshoumaru appeared in front of her before she had a chance to open the doors out into the foyer, trying with all of his might to pinpoint where their enemy was. He damned his simple human instincts that were weak and defective.

"Kagome, where is it?" he asked, eyes roaming every nook in cranny his dull human eyes could make out. The miko next to him flinched only a fraction, enough for him to catch it, but he decided to let the matter slip.

"I think..." she began, hesitant. "I think it's out there, definitely near. I can feel it."

"I can as well," Sesshoumaru said. "Go on. I'll cover your back."

Kagome nearly whipped around and stared. He was going to have her back? Never did she suspect the taiyoukai to allow her to follow her own intuition when dire consequences were at hand, let alone have himself be the backup! The situation must be more crucial than she realized. Or, perhaps he was simply coming around to her.

Removing those thoughts viciously, the young miko turned inuyoukai solely focused on her senses to pinpoint their enemy. A second later she had his location, began racing toward him in almost a blind frenzy. There was something odd that she had picked up, something that tickled and burned her nose in one instance and left her hot and cold the next. It was something vaguely familiar, yet warped and misshapen somehow, as if her current state of species altered her knowledge of a previous memory.

Deciding that ruminating upon it now would do her little good, she ensured Sesshoumaru was at her side as they narrowed in on the youkai. What they actually saw upon honing in on said enemy was a different matter.

"Oh, hey Kagome-san." Greeted the brown haired youth.

Kagome started. "H-Hojo?" she gaped, mind temporarily shutting down. No, there was no way, he couldn't be—

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Sesshoumaru said drily to Kagome, attempting to rationalize as to how this human boy possessed the aura of a demon.

"But, this can't be—" she cut herself off as a glint of red shrouded the irises of Hojo's eyes. It was enough of a decision for her—Kagome lunged quickly into an attack mode and zeroed in on the youth whom she'd known just moments ago to be human, wanting to believe the worst of her suspicions weren't correct.

Her attack didn't hit the mark she'd wanted; Hojo had managed to somehow dodge the blow she'd aimed for his chest in time for her to merely connect her fist with his right arm. The boy barely winced as he shifted away from the miko, hissing and spitting while revealing two curious pairs of elongated incisors.

"Get out of Hojo's body!" shrieked Kagome as she struck again, this time prepared for his little trick and felt a sense of satisfaction as her fist connected with its—Hojo's—chest, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a cement bird bath. Her previous drive seemed to wane instantly as she noted the way his vulnerable, human body coiled in on itself in pain, and took in the fact that it snapped the bird bath in two.

Sesshoumaru recognized what the circumstances were the moment Kagome first engaged in battle, but hadn't the thought as to warn her. Now seemed like a good enough time. "Do not waver in your attacks," he told Kagome sternly. "He is not the actual boy. Can you not see that his human shell is already starting to crack?"

Swallowing thickly, the miko looked at her friend/youkai, only to officially notice that its face was now a gruesome profile sporting darkened yellow eyes, and a muzzle almost resembling an ox. Its arms were morphing before her eyes into massive, heavily muscled arms with talons on the ends of huge hands.

"We need to get out of here." Kagome hurried to Sesshoumaru's side before he had a chance to protest, summoning her cloud and taking to the skies. "I need to get him away from everyone. Where should we go?"

Sesshoumaru's words were discernible enough, even through the cries of anger coming from below as the youkai continued to metamorphosis into a giant ox-bat hybrid.

"That was a sound decision." Sesshoumaru commented.

"Yeah, thanks. Say, you didn't happen to feel anything unusual around the demon, did you?" she remarked almost flatly, as if she were trying to solve this puzzle out at the same time as well. Sesshoumaru shook his head, and her hopes plummeted a little. "I felt something so strange, almost as if I could have missed it easily, but for some reason it called to me..."

"What did?" inquired the demon lord, genuinely curious.

"I don't know..." she shook her head, fretful. "I felt hot and cold, and it was almost as if a feeling of familiarity came with the sensation. I don't know how to describe it."

"Hm. This is peculiar. I'm sure we'll have enough of a chance to find out."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because the youkai is right behind us,"

Refusing to shriek like a little child, Kagome's eyes met the demon's glowing ones as it soared through the air with bat wings that carried its thick and cumbersome body with almost a garish finesse. She'd have to lead it somewhere and kill it, she concluded, almost fearfully. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, would be sound. But how long could she continue to placate it while she soared high above Tokyo until she reached the outskirts of the city?

"Keep on," encouraged Sesshoumaru, by her side like an anchor. "We'll lead him out far enough away from the population."

This comment sort of puzzled the miko; why was he acting adamant about bringing the fight away from humans, when he claimed to care less about them? Was it due to his certain vulnerability of being human himself that opened his eyes, or could it be that maybe he was coming to the conclusion that humans weren't his enemy. Either or, Kagome decided the best thing was to leave his statement be and focus on the present, which was right behind them and roaring like a lion on helium.

Spurring herself on, Kagome struggled against the blistering winter winds and tried her best to shield Sesshoumaru from the brunt of it, for if she was feeling even a slight bit chilly, he must have been developing frostbite at this point. As it was, the demon lord refused to elicit any sort of weakness she could interpret by mere sight, but her sense of smell alone could alert her of his growing discomfort. Uneasily, almost as if he were precious object she was trying not to shatter—when the actual reason consisted of her growing want of his proximity that she refused to acknowledge—Kagome shifted close enough to him that her nose was almost touching the tip of his shoulder blade, her body shielding his from the onslaught of the frosty air that was beginning to turn into hail.

"What are you doing?" grunted Sesshoumaru. If Kagome was more confident she would've believed him to be almost embarrassed.

"I know you're probably freezing," she prattled on, "but if I can feel a slight nip in the air, you're probably worse off than me."

"Do not be foolish." As if by design, his body was wrought with tiny muscle spasms intended to keep circulation flowing to his limbs. Kagome could not believe he'd shivered.

Becoming bolder in her actions, she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her nose into his suit, inhaling his comforting scent and feeling relief when he didn't shiver again. In a brief instant she wished his arm would embrace her, but that was wishful thinking. Sesshoumaru never made any sort of intentions on wanting her, so why should she even start fantasizing? Just because it was cold and they had the company of each other, didn't make this a movie moment. The clear notion that they were currently being pursued by a demon shattered the illusion firmly enough. Kagome sighed wistfully into his shirt.

Sesshoumaru honestly couldn't find any reason to order her away from him. She smelled good and was quite warm, and oddly a little familiar, and Sesshoumaru favoured things that were familiar. He supposed putting up with her close proximity could be tolerated until they were forced to land. Really, nothing was upsetting about this situation.

Kagome's impressive speed carried them safely to the cover of trees within the dense forest. The sounds of the youkai from behind them gradually increasing in volume, the miko swerved them into a clearing, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Find an area thick with trees. We don't want to give him any reason to unleash his power in the open,"

Kagome nodded, searching and finding the thickest area of trees nearby. As they landed their clothing got caught and torn by the many branches, scratching their skin and tangling their hair. Kagome managed to have her shallow cuts healed by the time their feet touched the ground, though Sesshoumaru was less fortunate in his tattered suit and scratched up face. There was no time for her to dwell on that now; as expected the youkai following crashed nearby them, bending trees to the ground with his weight.

"What should we do?" questioned Kagome as the swell of that unfamiliar energy consumed her thoughts minutely.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "You're going to have to fight,"

"Here?" she squeaked, fully aware that the demon was encroaching quickly.

"There is no choice."

"In my dress?" she said indignantly.

He shrugged once again. "There is no choice."

Opting to settle their disagreements later, Kagome found herself even more angry toward the demon before, although most of it was misplaced fury. How dare it interrupt their perfect evening, and ruin their clothes! And how it pretend to be her friend! As sweat rolled down her brow, she gained confidence that revenge would be soon doled out.

With little regret, Kagome took her shoes off as she tore most of the dress's material that covered her legs, until she was able to freely move them, albeit revealing a little too much for the demon lord's wandering eyes. She turned toward said demon. "Are you going to hide somewhere?"

He nodded. "I won't be too far. Deal with him quickly."

She agreed and took off in a blur, tracking the demon through her keen nose and coming upon it obliterating most of the forest's trees with brute strength alone. Kagome raised one of her hands and watched as it lit up like a million fireflies, unleashing her whip which struck true to the youkai's haunches, sending him into unrelenting pain as it howled into the night.

Over and over, she continued to strike him with her whip, effectively stunning the demon into submission where it attempted to recover from the massive blows. Just as her other hand began hissing with her dokkasu, the demon's next words startled her long enough for it to evade the poisonous attack.

"You killed my brother!"

Halting in place, Kagome searched for the youkai with her senses. Her sensitive ears picked up its ill-concealed movements and she lunged for the attack, spraying poison all across the forest, disintegrating wildlife and the forestry surrounding her, until nothing hid the demon.

And then there was that energy again, beckoning her, as if they were old friends. What could it be? Questioned the miko fretfully as she attacked her opponent with renewed vigor. As she continued to creep nearer did she realize that the youkai was actually gaining height and becoming much larger, and that its features morphed just enough for her to notice. How had that happened? Unless...

"With the power of the Sacred Jewel I can surely win!" His words froze her, stunned her, physically immobilizing her to the spot while the youkai discovered his new powers and charged them.

The Shikon no Tama was... in the future with them? But how had this been possible? Did it get sent with her and Sesshoumaru, and nearly been repelled someplace far off into Japan until a demon found it, such as this one? Is that why the energy seemed to be her lost friend, because she was youkai and thus her senses regarded such power differently?

"Watch out!"

Sesshoumaru's cry brought her back to reality just in time to narrowly avoid the large swipe the clawed youkai attacked her with. When she regained her footing the tangy smell of blood interspersed with something akin to foreign energy entered her nostrils, and only when she moved and stirred the blood pooling down her arm did she recognize it as her own. Not having a chance to inspect the wound, her fast reflexes kicked in and helped her dodge another lethal swipe, in which she returned with a strike of her own whip of energy.

The youkai screamed in agony as his right arm was cleanly sluiced from his shoulder, granting Kagome enough of a chance to hack away a piece of muscle on his left calf. As it continued to suffer, his form began to expand and grow, adding extra appendages as well as a spiked tail. The Jewel enhanced his power doubly, even regrowing his lost limb.

The miko decided that, in this moment, now was the time to run and think of some sort of plan. Her nose efficiently targeted Sesshoumaru's scent as she pushed on to his location, hampered by her injured body. "We need to move," she said when she was close enough to him, and when he turned to question her why his eyes locked on the figure of the youkai increasing in size before his eyes.

Not arguing, he scrambled unto her back and they took off with a burst of speed Kagome wasn't sure if she could keep up for more than a minute. She took them far out of the youkai's way until they eventually came across a wide clearing. "The situation has changed," Sesshoumaru said in her ear, "we need to lure him into the open."

Kagome started panicking. "But why!?" she asked shrilly, her primal, youkai mind telling her that now was the time for flight.

"You must transform. If you do not slay him now, the Jewel will only continue to increase his strength. You'll be more powerful in the true form, and he will be no match."

"And if I wait longer?"

She couldn't see the grim expression on the demon lord's face. "Then he will be unbeatable."

As she approached the clearing in break-neck speed, Kagome couldn't help but feel outrage. Outrage toward the fact that if Sesshoumaru had simply kept his powers, he'd have no trouble dispatching the youkai behind them. Since she was lacking in any sort of demon training and was still new to all of his powers, her lack of warrior seasoning hampered her situation. It was up to her now, the weak little girl, now bereft of her bow and arrows to aid her. All she could depend on now was her instinct, and Sesshoumaru.

They flew into the clearing, two dark apparitions preparing for battle. Sesshoumaru ensured himself a safe place to spectate that was down-wind and thoroughly hidden in the brush, while Kagome stood center of the clearing, willing her barriers to be removed. She had to transform before the demon caught up, to catch it by surprise, and finally get rid of it. With a few deep breaths, the call of her youkai nature became harder to ignore, and then she just... gave in.

The transformation for the miko was a haze. She recognized that her form had gone through metamorphosis into a giant, white inuyoukai, and yet her cogent, human mind wasn't entirely present. Kagome's eyes could see the land before her in startling detail, could feel each and every wildlife running within the forest and beneath her giant paws, but there wasn't a moment where she could think coherently without the niggling voice of the demon telling her what to do.

Sesshoumaru watched on from the thick brush, could see that the miko was having a difficult time in mustering up her human side so as to balance her youkai nature. Naturally, to the demon lord such a thing was taught at a younger age, and he only hoped that she would be able to push forward and not succumb to the power.

He saw as the youkai pursuing them crashed into the clearing and stumbled when it noticed the giant inuyoukai standing before it. Her maw gnashing together threateningly, Kagome released the deadly poison in which he recalled doing so to her years ago in his father's skeleton. It worked quickly, especially in the windy night, effectively poisoning the youkai's lungs and organs, slowly melting them. The power of the Jewel enabled it to feel no pain as it charged its opponent, first slashing with its giant claws, then turning so that its spiked tail could strike out like a snake.

Kagome avoided the claws, but fell victim to the sharp sting of the tail. Her jaws clamped around the thin stretch of muscle and effortlessly snapped it off, through the stinger remained in her flesh. The youkai ignored the pain and fought blindly, getting his arm caught in the inuyoukai's jaws as the poison dripped and melted the sinews of muscle and the dense bone.

Before the youkai had a chance to abuse the Jewel's powers more, Kagome latched herself onto the demon's neck with her jaws and sunk her claws into its chest, ripping away his skin and tearing through its ribcage while her teeth sunk into the sensitive flesh. The youkai stilled, paralyzed by the poison seeping throughout its entire system now, as its innards were viciously ripped out of its cavity and its windpipe was crushed.

Kagome reared her massive head back and threw the demon into the many trees, breaking its spine even though the poison had rapidly spread to its heart and stopped it. She licked her giant muzzle clean of blood and nursed the wind still left by the demon's stinger, trying to remove it with little success.

"Kagome?" asked Sesshoumaru as he entered the clearing, mindful of the miko though she was an ally. "Change back. You—" he cut himself off as he noted, too, the stinger lodged into her haunches. "Do not change, and let me remove that. If it is poisoned you have a better chance of your system getting rid of it than in your human shell." The giant dog gave a gruff whine and sunk down to the ground, laying her giant head on her folded paws.

Expertly, Sesshoumaru climbed on top of Kagome's back and assessed the wound carefully, noting that there was no apparent skin colour changes, or any residual pain she was expressing. His hand clasped the pointed stinger which resembled a dagger, first checking for poison that might have leaked out before swiftly dislodging it. Kagome yelped and tried to shake him off, but he gracefully jumped off before then.

"I believe you are fine. Change back now, Kagome." Her bright ruby eyes locked on to his, as if questioning, and then, as smoothly as she had first changed, she changed back, standing before him naked.

He averted his eyes and handed her his suit jacket, though tattered and riddled with holes, but she gladly accepted and covered herself.

"That was... interesting," Kagome mumbled, touching her wound gently. "I don't remember most of what happened."

"That normally comes back later," assured Sesshoumaru, as he approached the now dead youkai who was already half-way disintegrated into dust. "Can you sense the Jewel on him?"

In a haze, she stumbled over to the youkai she had just killed and felt the tug of energy coming from its head. "Here," her hands probed the back of its blocky head, finding the Shikon no Tama buried deep within the demon's neck muscles. "I can't believe it's here. I can't believe it's been here all along,"

"Neither can I," said Sesshoumaru softly, taking the Jewel from her hands. "Can you lift us to your home? Are you too weary?"

"No, no I'm fine," Kagome gathered her last remnants of dwindling strength and summoned the cloud beneath her feet. They arrived in her courtyard fifteen minutes later, with the scent of Feudal Japan entering her nostrils almost instantly. "The well!" she gasped, eyes locking on the small shrine. "I can smell it, it's activated again."

"Due to the Jewel?" pondered Sesshoumaru, masking most of his relief. It was about time they returned and he gained his rightful powers back.

Kagome took a step forward, only to hesitate. Her eyes told him she was troubled.

"What is it?"

The miko shook her head morosely. "I'm not ready to go back," she turned to face him. "At least, not tonight. I... I don't know if I can face them."

Understanding showed on his face, as well as in his scent. He understood the possible ramifications she could face if she returned to her friends looking as such. Fortunately for him he wasn't as concerned with his appearance as she, though knowing that Inuyasha would be stronger than him irked the demon lord. His hanyou half-brother would most likely flaunt the fact in his face like a child.

What would become of them, then? Should he continue to live his separate life when he regained his powers back? It seemed like the only logical thing to pursue, considering they had no concrete history together before such events to hold a sort of camaraderie. Somehow, the Prince of the Western Lands wasn't too pleased about this prospect.

He tucked the Jewel into his pants pocket. "We shall leave the next morning." Sesshoumaru promised, gently taking Kagome's hand in his, leading them to the house.

When the sun rose and Kagome attended school, she fought the nausea pooling within her stomach as Sesshoumaru left to resign from his part time teaching.

Sesshoumaru himself found that departing from the future and cancelling his class that were full of idiots was a refreshing revelation. He could return to the proper time period that was his, where he remained in charge.

The miko fretted about the thoughts her friends would have when seeing her. Would they think she was a threat? Would Sango exterminate her? Miroku purify her? What of Kikyou, who did not care what happened to her reincarnation? Would she simply purify Kagome on sight based on her species? The thoughts were endless, the worries pouring in.

There was no solace to be found for Kagome until later that evening, when she finally settled for bed.


End file.
